March 14th 2005...
Just a brief update today. The boy is at daycare so I'm catching up on some computer time :) We have gone back to the drop off crying at day care again of late. Seems now he knows well enough to anticipate where he is going for the day before we even get out the driveway and wants me to be in no doubt as to how he feels about it! hehehe Poor little bugger....I know he loves it once he's there but boy it's hard to walk away from him when he's upset and reaching out for me. :(
Last week's playgroup resulted in a hell of scare for him and mummy!! The group met at local park which had a huge wooden 'boat' play equipment. All was going good until he became distracted by other kids while on the top 'deck' of the boat. He sat down and leaned back without knowing there was nothing to lean back on. From the base of the slippery dip where I was waiting for him I saw him disappear backwards then heard the sickening thump as he hit the ground below!!!! Thankfully it was thick, coarse sand that he landed on or I think he would have had some serious injuries....he fell from above my head height so at least a 2m drop backwards!!! As it was I couldn't get to him fast enough and to see him lying in a heap face down in the sand made my heart stand still. I rolled him over before picking him up as his arm was twisted underneath him and I was afraid it may have been broken. Thankfully it was not. After brushing off the sand out of his eyes and in his mouth and giving lots of cuddles and kissed he settled ok. I think he mainly got some shock and probably was winded....he had some grazing to his forehead but otherwise he seems to bounce well *wink*. He seemed quite frightened by the whole ordeal and spent the rest of the week talking in whispered tones about his "big fall" :) Of course it took a while for my leg's to stop shaking after the fall!!! Oi and this is only the first of many I am sure....Eeeek!
Since my last entry Caleb has discovered his can sing his favourite Bob the builder song himself! He wanders around singing "Bob bob bob....lala la fix it!" So cute!!!! The poor old telletubbies have taken a definite back seat to "Bob-bob-bob" as he calls him.
He can say most words we ask of him now and has found he can combine two words he already knows to form a new one....like ladybeetle...very cute also! He is now counting to 5 with us and is in total agreeance with us that he is a bloody legend in that regard!!! :)
Since his potty miss on holidays when he did #2 on the floor instead he is now fascinated by his own poop! He will come and tell us if he has done poo-poo but when we change his nappy he pleads to "look poo-poo.....look poo-poo"....Ewww! He's happy just to have a peak before it goes in the bin. Don't ask me why?? Still learning what his body can do I guess??
We've been to Maze Mania twice in the last week and he can now go anywhere he wants all over the previously 'big kids' maize instead of the toddler one. He confidently tackles rope bridges, ledges and obstacles at least 4-6m above the ground and is capable of getting up there and back down as he wants. It's great!! I can see the time coming now where I can be like other mum's there and relax with a cuppa while he plays instead of hovering over him to help or prevent falls etc. He has his party there this weekend and we are all really looking forward to it. I'd better get organized with the cake soon and buy the ingrediants and decorations that it needs. It's come around so fast I can't believe that this time next week he will be 2yrs old!!!!! We have changed his daycare day to Tuesday next week so we can keep him home for his birthday. I think Daddy will even take the day off to make it extra special :) I'm not even sure what present we are getting yet?? We have a 'pre-maths' Leapfrog leap-pad book on layby and some Bob the builder wall stickers to revamp his room from baby to boys but otherwise I don't know??? Maybe some Thomas the tank engine stuff to round it out with??
We have another 2nd birthday to go to the day before so It's set to be a big weekend.
Anyway....enough for now. Hope you all enjoyed the holiday pic's and I'll be back next week to let you know how the party went.
Cheers P
March 6th 2005...
Well we have been home from our holidays for a week now and I have put off writing this entry for long enough, due to the work involved in uploading pic's etc, but figure if I don't do it now I never will so here goes....
Our holiday was bloody amazing!!!!!
We began squealing from the moment we saw our motel amongst the other highrises....it was HUGE!!!! 46 floors all up and we were on the 13th floor (unlucky for some but not us it would seem). When we opened the door to the apartment it was more flash then we ever could have imagined. Big enough to fit our whole house in, plush furnishings and mirror's everywhere you looked. It had leather lounges and two matching recliners (a la Joey and Chandlers in Friends), gorgeous kitchen and awesome bathroom and ensuite. It was much better having chosen a 2 bedroom this time to give Caleb his own room and Mommy and Daddy some privacy. The lounge/living area was massive and surrounded by floor to ceiling glass doors all around the surround balcony (about 20m of balcony all up I'd guess in a big semi-circle around one half of the apartment.) The balcony was by far the best feature of the entire apartment. Clear views of main beach across the street and lots of people watching opportunities in the surrounding accommodation towers. The views were so good we even went out and bought a telescope for some real people watching *wink* ....was much fun!
The room was equipped with air-con and Foxtel (boy did we rack up some MTV hours on that thing) and the resort included it's own kids playground too which Caleb loved. It also featured full size and half size tennis courts, squash courts, sauna, indoor pool and spa, 3 outdoor pools (including a knee deep toddler pool) and beautiful grounds and gardens. Much to Caleb's delight we were next to the 'World's Largest Residential Building' currently under construction so he took much delight in watching tractors, cranes and workmen crawl all over it during the day. Unlike last holiday it took him a while to adjust to the lifts and the noisy underground carpark but by the end he loved both of them and whined to go "Daddee's truck" as soon as he was awake each day. He knew everyday held a new adventure and he couldn't wait for each one to begin.
During the holiday we explored our resort facilities and went down to the pools for a dip most afternoons. We spent heaps of time on the balcony and blobbing out in front of the Foxtel or PS2 at night time. Mummy had a ball walking for hours around Pacific Fair and Australia Fair shopping centre (please please please can we have a Pacific Fair shopping centre in our town - THE BIGGEST shopping centre I've seen I think?). We visited the beach, Seaworld, MovieWorld, Ripley's Believe it or not, Sizzler and much more during our stay.
Seaworld was a great day. Caleb loved seeing the dolphins, seals, polar bears etc and the highlight of his day was probably standing right next to the Seaworld helicopter as it landed and took off again. He loves helicopters in his books....or sissycoptars as he pronounces them *wink*. He watched ski displays loved his 2 turns on the massive carousel ride (one with Mummy, one with Daddy) and took great delight in a "train , train, train" ride in the mono-rail :) He also rode a ride on a train of mini semi-trailers which he thought looked close enough to his beloved 'tractors' to make his day :)
MovieWorld was a much better day for him as there were more rides people his age could go on. The Looney Tunes section saw him ride miniature trains, giant spaceships that circled high in the air, river ride rafts that drift along dark canals and shoot around corners and hills in the dark. He loved the street parades and character shows like Batman and friends and even the Matrix one too.
Both were such big days and he took home little drink bottle souvenirs and other trinkets from both. The day at MovieWorld we were joined by my sister and her family and Caleb loved to have his cousin Jarred at MovieWorld with him :) In fact he took a real shine to the whole family and also to my other sister and her family in Brisbane who we stayed with our first night away. Of course he has met them all before but this time he was so affectionate with his Aunties and Uncles it shocked even us. Usually he is wary of men but he latched onto both Uncles and was giving out kisses to all and sundry. He still chants his cousin Courtney's name since we've come home so I think she in particular made a good impression on him.
Even since being home he has made another attachment to his Aunt Alicia here (Simon's sister) after learning her name at her recent birthday dinner. She called around Friday afternoon and he ran to her at the door calling Aunt Lee-see-a and hugging and kissing her.....unheard of!!!!! :)
Of course Daddy also took delight in teaching him my name while we were away! He already said Si-mon the way I would if I were calling out to him but now he chants Paulene, Paulene, Paulene too....cheeky little monkey!
We also had another potty victory while we were away. Our first number 2 in the potty (well it ended up on the floor in front of the potty when he jumped up to see the .... errr....action!) hehehehe. I found him some little Bob the Builder (his absolute favourite character at the moment ....telletubbies are history!) jockeys for him to wear during his toilet training and he loves them! :)
So all in all it has certainly been a great holiday. Now we are back to reality and preparing for his 2nd birthday party at the end of the month. As it will be held at Maze Mania 4 Kids this year all I have to worry about is the cake...thank god! I've got a dino shaped tin and some plastic dinosaur's to decorate around it....thought I might dye some grated coconut green for grass then place dino's and little tree's etc around the cake (soy friendly cake of course!).
Our next big holidays are Fraser Island for a week in August and then Xmas in Brisbane this year. We also have three weekend holiday vouchers to use this year and have considered a weekend in Rainbow Beach in April for our wedding anniversary, somewhere else in June or July for my 30th birthday, then somewhere else again in Sept for Simon's birthday. And if that's not enough holidays we have decided to go for 2 more Break Free holidays next year as we enjoyed our last two so much. We'll probably choose Byron Bay for our paid week then either back to the Peninsula in Surfer's our somewhere else for the free week??? Just knowing holidays keep coming around gets me through the interim :)
Caleb sure loved his time away and has been great since his return also. He slotted right back into 2 days a week daycare without a worry and has even begun sleeping in until about 7.15am each day since our return....VERY NICE!!! :)
Anyway....enough for now. Best go and upload all the holiday pic's for you now too! Will email everyone on my list when I have finished the pic's (maybe not until tomorrow depending on how I go?)
Cheers P
February 17th 2005...
Well we leave for our holiday the day after tomorrow so I thought I'd best get in and get an update done before then. We are so excited about this holiday and can hardly wait to get going. It will be great to catch up with both of my sisters for a day each and also great just to have some quiet family time away and doing exciting things.
Speaking of exciting....Caleb is most excited about Daddy's new truck! See pic in new window here. Finally after months of talking about it we sold Simon's old clapped out 2 seater 4wd and got a 95 Mazda Bravo dual cab 4wd. Not only is Simon enjoying the new luxuries of air, cd and power steer...but most importantly Caleb now has his own booster seat in Daddy's truck and couldn't' be happier about it. He loves going anywhere with Daddy and squeals in excitement at the prospect and cries to be taken out....hehehehe. Never knew Mummy's car was so ordinary *wink* If he's like that now imagine how much he will love a week on Fraser Island with it in August!
We had to collect him early from daycare on Monday as he had a swollen and inflamed eye. It may have been a conjunctivitis or just an allergy but either way the doctor prescribes some drops four times a day which he absolutely hates. Poor little bubba :( They finish tomorrow though thankfully!
The daycare took us aside that afternoon to talk about Caleb with Simon. They said that he was the most polite little boy who happily played and shared with the other children and was never unhappy to give his book or toy to another...awww shucks! How nice is that to hear :)
He continues to jabber away at an alarming rate and is rapidly adding words to his repertoire. He loves library visits, parks and slippery dips and chants to go the beach whenever you mention the word! His favourite toy at the moment is his old push along lawnmower (or mawnmower as he calls it!) and his usual books and toy cars. He is also mad for his playdough and sandpit (with tractors of course!).
He's trying to learn to jump at the moment...which I'm sure he thinks he's doing! Although bouncing and flapping his elbows up does not a jump make!
He's so affectionate with us and is always lavishing us with kisses and cuddles...which we of course love!!! His manners continue to grow and he's proficient at 'please' and 'Ta' now and says 'sorry' and kisses any boo-boo's he causes someone accidentally. He also presents any of his "sore's" to be kissed by us too. He holds it up saying 'sore' and makes a 'mwaaa' sound of kissing....so cute!
He's really into animals at the moment and animals sounds and loves his flash cards on farm animals and their sounds. We also sing lots of songs at the moment and his favourite is 'Old McDonald had a farm...' He loves to sing along on the 'ee i ee i oh' bits and the animal noises.
His sleeping has slowly extended in the morning from a phase of 5.30 am to now averaging 6.30 to 7am. It is now 7.20am and the little angel is still sleeping...Wow for mummy time! :)
He continues to be free of eczema for now and we are even hoping for some improvement with the dairy allergy. He is still on soy dairy products of course but seems to tolerate the odd trace of dairy in the ingrediants that he previously would not have. Eg last night he had macaroni with a trace of milk and had no obvious reactions??? We will continue to challenge with minimal dairy contents occasionally just to see how he is progressing with the allergy. We are still hopeful he will be one of the lucky one's to outgrow it as he seems to have done with his eczema for the time being. Though considering his Granny's life long chronic eczema it has every chance of returning yet.
I'll be back next month to post heaps of holiday snaps and let you all know how much fun we had :)
Cheers P
January 28th 2005...
Gee I knew I had been meaning to get in and update for a while now but had no idea it had been almost a month!! I'm sure lot's has happened in that time and I'll never remember it all so let's just talk about now instead.
Right now we are marveling every day at how fast our little boy is growing up. His vocabulary has to be heard to be believed lately! He now uses 2 and 3 word sentences and has grasped ownership....like "Mommy's car" and "Daddy's seat". This morning when we left for daycare he went around all the animals saying clear as a bell: "Bub-bye puppy", "Bub-bye meow", "Bub-bye birdie"....:) His wants to try every new word he can and now regularly includes words like helicopter, tractor, train, library, oh-oh spill, dirty, poo-poo, bath, drink, cheese, tarnies (sultana's), nana, grapes, shoes, socks, hat, door, beach, swim, teddy, ant, beetle and on and on the list goes.
Yesterday morning we went for our usual weekly library visit and a lady there asked how old he was. When I said he was 22months she commented that his language seemed very developed and clear for his age!!! That was really nice to hear :)
We are sure it's because we have read to him every day since he was born. Last week we also got some great flash cards to use with him and he already knows over half of one of the packs of cards on everyday items!! I'm working on teaching him colors at the moment too.
Then late yesterday afternoon we drove past the library on the way to somewhere else and he spotted it and said "library". He also says 'Granny' when we go past the street that we take to her house and same for Daddy when we have visited him on the same jobsite a few times!!! It's definitely time Mummy and Daddy watch our language much closer now and I've stopped playing Eminem in the car as I don't want that in his vocab either!! Any time we drive anywhere it's a constant stream of chatter from the back seat naming things for me to acknowledge and praise.
He has now started daycare 2 days a week and I am very relieved to say he now stays without crying or screaming!!! Thank god!!!! It took a while but the last two weeks have just seen sad face looks when I leave and today he even went off and played....I can tell you that's much less guilt-inducing for me!
This week his swimming lessons start back up again and playgroup is every Wednesday again from next week. We really missed both of them over the holidays so I know he'll be excited to get back there again.
Caleb is totally into tractors, trains and dinosaurs at the moment. I even purposely drive through roadwork's just to hear him squeal with delight over the tractors! We found Bob the Builder every morning at 8am has lot's of tractors in it as does the Tractor Tom video we bought him. He still only watches about an hour of TV in the morning only and it's off the rest of the day until we watch it in the evening. I don't want him to grow up being a TV junkie. Same goes for Simon's new PS2...we limit playing it when he is awake so as not to get him hooked on that either.
We fill our days together going to the park, beach, swings, or shops....we go walking, bike riding and on pram jaunts. Most weekends we go out for a 1hr ride on Saturday and Sunday as a family with him in the baby seat on my bike and he just loves it!! He will certainly be raised knowing all about healthy lifestyles.
No news yet on another bub. I am enjoying a welcome relief from all the fertility treatments and focusing on weight loss instead as an alternative to all the drugs and scans etc. So far I have lost 9.5kg in the last 12 weeks so I'm hoping that may bring some results soon??
We went out to an Italian restaurant last night for Granny's birthday and Caleb was exceptionally well behaved...thank god!
He and his puppy Mojo are just the best of friends and I think it was the best pet we could have got him. They are inseparable whenever Caleb is home and they give each other as much rough and tumble as each other but both thrive on their mateship :)
We've only got 4 weeks until our next holiday and we are so excited about how much Caleb will be loving it!!! He was thrilled with our Caloundra holiday last year and this year we will spend 2 nights with my sister in Brisbane before checking in for our 7 night free stay in the Gold Coast. We'll be taking him to Seaworld and Movie World as well as all the local attractions around the coast. He loved all the Sunshine Coast attractions last time so I can't wait to see what he thinks of the big theme parks this time. Every day on holidays was such an adventure for him last time and this time will be 100 times better now that he can communicate better and is more able to try things for himself. You can see where we are going here
We have also booked a 7 night holiday on Fraser Island in August....don't even get me started on how much he's gonna love that!!!!! :)
I'm almost scared to say it but it seems that he is 100% free of eczema now and has been for several months!!!!! Of course I'm sure it will be back given his Granny's history with it but for now we are loving baby smooth skin. I guess learning his trigger foods for it have helped but whatever the reason we are thrilled it's gone and hope it stays that way.
Well I've probably raved on enough for now. As always I have heaps I want to get done while he is at daycare today so I'd best get moving.
Thanks for reading and look out for some new pics soon!
Cheers P
December 29th 2004...
Just wanted to pop in quickly to share some exciting news with you all.....my boy used his potty!!!!!
We had taken Caleb's nappy off before his bath and he looked like he was going to pee (a bit of a growth factor is the dead giveaway). Anyway he has been weeing outside in the yard and around the pool a bit since we have been letting him run around nappy free in the cool of the afternoon. This has given him some good exposure to what happens when he does a wee and how he can stop and start it himself. So today when we sat him down on the potty we said do a wee and reminded him of how he could push his tummy to make it come. Then he did it!!! :)
His potty is in the toilet and he insisted that Daddy sit on the big toilet while he sat on his. So while Daddy is clapping beside him mummy is dancing around like a lunatic in the door way (must have looked bad because he pushed the door shut in my face!). I remember my mother in law saying what a big song and dance she made of any attempt or success at potty training with Simon so I gave it heaps. *wink*
He could tell that he'd done something pretty special and that he agreed that he must be pretty special too. He loved all the attention.
Who knows what will happen from here on out. He may not go near it again for another 3 months....or he may want to try that one again...and again! We'll see. Either way it was a big night for our little family and I just wanted to share it.
Cheers P
December 27th 2004...
Don't know if I'll get another opportunity to get on here before the New Year has arrived so thought I'd better catch up on Christmas first :)
It was magical!!!!!
I loved Christmas before but it is so much better now as a parent. Caleb had the most amazing day and I wouldn't change a thing.
On Christmas Eve night we took him to see the local Christmas light displays people decorated their house and yard with. We went with his Granny and Aunty Alicia and Uncle Andrew too. As with the carol's by candlelight the previous week, he was just stoked to be out and about having an adventure at night time. He loved walking and driving around the streets with us and all the people and cars. He loved Santa in a big way - especially one house that had a life sized singing and dancing Santa and another that had a giant blow up Santa. It was so sweet to see his little eye's peering over the top of people's picket fences, enraptured by all that was Christmas.
That night we came home and enjoyed some special time with our Christmas tree as we have done each night in the lead-up to Christmas while listening to some carol's. Then we left Santa a drink and a cookie and toddled off to bed.
By 7am Christmas morning we were arriving at Granny's place ready for the present opening with his family.
Simon dressed up as Santa as he did last year but this year Caleb screamed blue murder. We thought he was scared of Santa as he was screaming for Daddy. After Simon changed back to 'Daddy' Caleb took him to look for Santa and it turned out that was why he was screaming for Daddy when Santa was there....of course then he had Daddy and no Santa (visions of Mr Snuffle-uf-a-gus on Sesame St.) but we thought it was best to move onto the presents.
He got so many wonderful things that I couldn't list them all but they included art easels, Tonka dumptruck and excavator, Leapfrog Learning Pad, Golf sets, Wooden pull or push along cart with blocks, books, cars, hooded pool towels, crayons, playdough, maraca's etc etc etc. Funnily enough one of his favorites is a $2 rubber dinosaur I got for his stocking. He calls it his 'sore' and takes it everywhere...and I mean everywhere - bath, bed, pool!!!!
We had a lovely BBQ breakfast at Granny's house then everyone headed back home for the sanctuary of our air-con. We swam and played with Simon's PS2 while lunch was prepared then we feasted again. After lunch the girls and Caleb had nanna-naps while the boys PS2'd and played table tennis. The evening was pretty relaxing, just playing our new Friends boardgame while the little fella got some much needed sleep.
And that was Christmas 2004.
Since then Caleb has had a ball with his Tonka's in his sandpit. This morning the 3 of us went for a game of tenpin bowling....Caleb's first. I won too which was rare, but then Caleb was only 15 points behind Daddy.....*snicker*. This afternoon we took the easel down the back yard in the shade for some painting which he loved. We all ended up a little 'blue' from a certain someone wielding a blue smeared brush around but it was just so nice. I took photo's of the painting, sandpit, bowling, Xmas day and Christmas lights but cannot add them to the albu, until we reload the camera software (we got a new super-computer on Christmas Eve!!!!).
So that's pretty much where it's at. Caleb is loving having Daddy home on holidays. Mummy too as we are taking it day about for getting up to Caleb so lot's of sleep-ins for all! Caleb is staying with Granny tomorrow night while Simon and I go out to catch a movie and dinner (am thinking Bridgett Jones and gourmet pizza??).
We are hosting a New Year's Eve party here so still more celebrations to come. They don't call it the silly season for nothing :)
Cheers P
December 21st 2004...
Just time for one more update before Christmas is apon us!
It has been a busy couple of weeks but I have present shopped, food shopped, Xmas cards are mailed and the tree is up....now I am ready and waiting for Christmas!
Simon and I put the tree up while Caleb slept on Sunday afternoon and the look on his face when he woke up was priceless! Last weekend he screamed blue murder at the thought of sitting on Santa's lap but now Santa, Christmas tree's and all things festive just excite him no end. To finally see a tree in his own home and all the other decorations have made him so happy :) Each morning he rushes out to make sure the tree is still there. Every evening we make a big deal of the tree lights, the Christmas carols on the stereo and just the general magic that is Christmas.
The Santa photo was not going to happen without at least one of us on Santa's lap too so we used the opportunity for a family photo and it turned out so great I am very glad I did! It's a lovely family photo to mark the season :)
On Christmas Eve we will go out to show him all the houses decorated in Christmas lights. As well as some amazing ones around our house there is a street in our town that is called Christmas Avenue this time of year as every house in it is decked out to the nine's with thousands of Christmas lights and I know Caleb will love walking from house to house with us this year :) We'll have to take lots of pics and film of it and I will try to post some soon on the album site.
On Saturday night just gone we took him to the local Carols' by Candlelight concert in the park. As he never stays up late I thought he'd be putting on a show for home no sooner than we had arrived. After queuing in line for almost an hour (yes that's right...an hour!) for tea I headed back to our blanket expecting the worst....and there he was having the time of his life. He was dancing and clapping to the singers, playing with his friend who was with us and having a ball with his glow-sticks and fake candles!! It was gorgeous and he made it until the fireworks at the very end. We were standing right under them and despite a few half hearted cries at first he was happy enough to watch them with Mummy and Daddy close by....his first fireworks...Ahh! I was so proud of his behavior on the night that now we know we can do things like it more often :)
The next day we went back there to visit the baby animal patting zoo...he loves them too!
Last week his swimming lessons finished up for the year and so too did his playgroup. The playgroup held a Christmas break-up party in the park and we bought a little gift for each child. Caleb got a metal shrek lunch box which will become his pencil/crayon box if he ever let's it out of his site for 5 minutes :)
He went off to daycare yesterday with a little chocolate gift for each of his teachers there which they loved! As it was the years end they also sent home all his artwork from daycare and a lovely hand and foot print and a wrapped gift we have yet to open ....wonder what that will be???
Caleb's Poppy will be out of town for Christmas this year so he got his gift early.......a bike and he LOVES IT!!! His first real bike (with training wheels of course) and it's just gorgeous. I have pics to add to the album for the bike too.
Speaking of pics....I also have pictures of the finished table and chair set that I painted for him. It turned out much better than I could have hoped for and he just thinks it's the best thing since sliced bread!! Somewhere to sit and read and draw and do so many things he loves :)
I just can't wait for the big day this year and I know he'll get so much more out of it than last year! We will have presents and breakfast and Granny's (with Daddy in the Santa suit), then lunch here...a day in the pool and then seafood for tea...Yummy! I even rented a second fridge for the month to fit all the grog and food in!!
I have heaps of photo's to upload before the Christmas one's arrive so I'd best go make a start on that now......will email you all when I am done :)
MERRY CHRISTMAS 2004 AND HAPPY AND SAFE 2005 FOR YOU ALL!!
Cheers P
December 6th...
Well no more health issues to report this time...thankfully!
Caleb has been fit and healthy and having lots of fun. Yesterday we purchased a water cooler unit for his room to make his nap times more comfortable. Our whole house in air-con but if his door is shut to his room the poor little bugger sweats his butt off. Now it's lovely and cool in there and he is much more comfortable. It also means we can just run our bedroom air-con overnight and not the whole house unnecessarily which will save us $$.
Last weekend we bought him a little wooden table and chairs set from the markets. We had a plastic set on layby but they just don't have the strength and durability of a good quality home made wooden one. So today I am painting it. I have got bright pots of red, blue and yellow and I hope it turns out well... of course if it does not I won't hear the end of it from Hubby the painter :) It's actually quite fun and I feel like little Miss Renovator painting and sanding as I go. Will post some pics of it when it is complete.
Caleb's playgroup has their break up this week... a picnic and sausage sizzle in the park which should be fun. I don't know what I'll do with my two extra mornings free a week but I'll find something. We have been having heaps of beach walks and play lately and bike rides etc so I'm sure we'll be able to add more of that in to fill up our week. I might also start going to Maze Mania one morning a week with him as he loves it there!
His swimming lessons also stop after the 18th. I think it's odd that they close lessons just at the time of year when kids are more likely to be swimming but I guess they are still a business and everyone needs a holiday sometime. I am really happy with his lessons and am thrilled with how he is progressing. He can now monkey walk around our entire pool edge by himself which is a great safety skill for him to have. He's getting much better with his head under water and his paddling and kicking skills are definitely improving also. We swim most afternoons now about 4PM when it's cool enough to forgo sunscreen and Caleb can jump in in the nude!
I have now officially finished my Xmas shopping and everything is all wrapped and tagged...phew!! Now I just need to make and send my Xmas cards and I'll be done with the silly season :) I can't wait for Christmas this year as Caleb will really get into it now that he is older. We have so many great pressies for him that I just want him to have them already :)
Anyway those cards won't make themselves so I'd best get cracking on them.
Cheers P
November 22nd...
Well we've had a few health drama's these last couple weeks but nothing too serious thankfully. 2 weeks ago we had Caleb up at the hospital with a temp of 40+ that just wouldn't subside. The doctors gave him some anti-biotic's for a couple of small sores on his tonsils, and did chest X-rays to rule out anything serious but otherwise could find no cause. As he was getting his 'stomach teeth' we put it down to teething and moved on....with the help of Panadol and Nurofen. The temp was so high that day at the hospital though that the next day he had two black eyes!!
He had been staying with Granny the night of the temp and was so miserable when I collected him the next morning that only mummy cuddles would do. He just wanted to be held and comforted for hours up at the hospital and the poor little might just whimpered and cried the whole time ... not to mention the scary Xray experience :(
It had settled by the next day and we went back to normal. Then last week the temps came back. Almost every night they were up in the high 30's to low 40's and we all missed out of a fair bit of sleep with it all. Again we just assumed it was teething until last Saturday when he came out in a full body rash. Sunday saw us back up at the hospital again and yesterday morning I had him at our GP. Turns out the temps were not due to teething but to a viral infection that he had had. The rash on his body, and now face, were the end of the viral infection. Not contagious but unsightly and definitely needing a certificate to take him to daycare yesterday (otherwise they would have had me out the door faster than I could blink)
Thankfully the spots are beginning to fade now, the temps have gone and things are settling back to normal...touch wood!!! :)
He's sleeping one nap a day for 2-3hrs at once.... then from 7pm to 6-8am ...HEAVEN!!!
Last week Granny came to playgroup with us for 'Grandparents Day' which was lots of fun for all. Caleb also had another sleep over with Granny last weekend while we hit the town (Thanks Granny!). Since being sick there though he cries when we arrive now and if I leave him there...I guess he has a good memory of how bad he felt last time when he was sick and mummy wasn't there :(
We have decided to wait until January to begin the twice a week daycare. I have added one extra one-off day this Friday just to finish the last of my Xmas shopping and to unpack all my Crisco which arrives that day...yey for Crisco!!!
I had a chat to daycare about how he hits after being there and they have agreed to watch he bigger kids closer when they share the playground with the toddlers in the afternoon. I know they can't stop it completely but as we don't hit at home it's a habit I'd rather him not pick up for now if I can help it.
Other exciting news is that Caleb's Aunty Alicia and Uncle Andrew will be moving to our town (and temporarily our house) this weekend..yey!! They have only been able to visit once since Caleb was born so we are all very excited that now they will be a regular and permanent part of his, and our, life. :)
Caleb is continuing to self feed all his meals now and still thinks he's just he ants pants because of it :) My little baby no more!
We have been having lots of bicycle rides since Mummy got her new bike and baby seat last month and Caleb loves it!!! He looks like a total egg-head with his big helmet on but he doesn't care. He'd ride around all day if he could. Can't wait for Poppy to get him his very own bike this Xmas!!
Speaking of which I have just been making our Xmas cards for this year. I edited a pic of Caleb then added borders and text etc to the photo before printing. This pic will then be glued to card and decorated for our own personal touch of Christmas cheer this year :) When I've done them I'll scan a pic and add it to the album.
Well that's enough for now...enjoy your Christmas preparations everyone...luckily it only comes once a year!!
Cheers P
P.S.
Gee almost forgot to mention the best part... Caleb can now feed himself!
He's been given one spoon while I have the other for months now but I had just not gotten around to giving him solo control....well I did and he did great!
He now spoons himself his own breakfast, lunch and dinner, can use a fork to spear food and just thinks the whole thing is the ants pants!
Of course some nights he eats a lot less now without us shoveling it in....but like they say- "kids won't starve themselves.. they'll eat what they need".
Sometimes it's a lot messier but so what....wouldn't want to hamper his development for the sake of saving on some mess :)
He has teletubbie cutlery which he of course adores....even a teletubbie placemat :)
And the thrill for us is that Mummy and Daddy get to eat tea at the same time for a change instead of one of us wrangling his dinner with him.
It makes me swell with pride to watch him self feed so well and a little corner of my heart aches with the knowledge that my little boy is growing up so fast!!
Awwww shucks!!
Cheers P
November 15th 2004...
Christmas is approaching so damn fast I thought I'd better get in and get another update done her while I still could :)
We continue to spend lots of time in the pool and Caleb's swimming lessons are really paying off. He can now 'monkey walk' around the pool edge by himself (with me right behind him for now of course) which just may mean the difference between life and death for him one day...god forbid the situation ever arose.
I am enjoying my time off from fertility med's and am concentration on weight loss for the time being. I have lost 5.6kg in the last 2 weeks and continue to work hard at it. Hoping to see some results soon :)
I have now finished up at work for the time being and am absolutely loving being a full time mom again :) I don't know how some women work full time as well as care for their kids...hats off to you! For me though this is what I want, what Caleb will thrive on and what Simon is happy with.. I now look forward to every day instead of wishing away my week just to get the work day over and done with for another week. I am very privileged to have this opportunity with Caleb I know, and I don't for one second take for granted how lucky I am to have the option to stay home with him!
The little jabber jaws continues to amaze us daily with new words and attempts at others :) His latest is this plaintive "dreeeenk" when he wants a drink and it's hard not to run and squeeze his chubby little cheeks and smother him with kisses! *wink* It's that cute!
He's really into Telletubbies and says the cutest "La-la" you've ever heard! He also has a little motion Nu-nu and says that really cute too...and has to take Nu-nu almost everywhere we go! It's a challenge to get to playgroup or daycare without Nu-nu or a book grasped in his tight little fingers. Now that I am home full time we go to the library every Thursday morning and he just loves it. He reads books there, draws, plays on the slides and toys or just follows other little kids around...awww!
We've also increased our playgroup visits to twice a week...just because we can...although this will go back to once a week after his daycare goes up to 2 days a week soon. That was supposed to be in January but I am considering going to next month so that I can get some of my readily expanding Xmas shopping and chores done?? Still thinking over this one??
Speaking of which it's time to go get him from today's stay...how fast my Monday's go!!
More soon
Cheers P
October 24th 2004...
Crikey!.....I didn't know it had been almost a month since I last updated :)
We are now well and truly into swimming weather and Caleb just loves it. We have got him some swim rings and a little boat for the pool that he loves being pushed around in. If we can, we try to go swimming in the cool of arvy so he can go nudie swimming instead of doing the whole sunscreen, swimsuit jazz. We did buy a big umbrella though for over the pool so that is helping too...as I am super careful about sunburn due to problems with my own moles.
As those who read my other website already know.....no baby this month :( So that brings to an end our treatments for the time being. Time to focus on shifting a few kilo's and trying to reach my goal weight by my 30th birthday next June and if by then we are still not pregnant then we'll go back for a full course of IVVF this time....but fingers crossed we won't need to?
I have resigned from my job this week and as of Nov 4th I will be back to being a full time mommy again!!! :) Yeah I am so excited by it :) I just spent too much time dreading work, avoiding work or at work that it took away from my time and enjoyment with Caleb. And if he is the only child we are to have then dammed if I want to miss a minute of it!
He is really making astounding progress on speaking at the moment. He jabbers all the time and can imitate most words you ask him to. In the last week I have taken notes of just some of the words he can say and they include.....shop, ball, bubbles, doodle (a fave word), mummy, daddy, Mia (granny's dog), hot, light, Ta, no, meow, woof, door, car, hat, sit......and that's just some of them :)
He also loves pointing out body parts and can point to them on himself or others ....nose, mouth, ears, eyes, belly button,doodle, toes, belly, legs etc.....he is such a clever little munchkin!!!
He has really discovered cars just lately and loves pushing them around the floor and driving them up walls etc while making vroom noises. And bikes are a real thing right now...he already has an old plastic 3 wheeler but a little birdy told me that Poppy is getting a shiny new bicycle for Xmas.....he will love it!!!! He cruises round on them really fast...not pedals but Flintstone style for now *wink*
He is down to one nap a day now....just after lunch he sleeps for anything from 1.5 - 3hrs each day. It makes our morning outings much easier now and he was ready for the change. He doesn't wake at night most nights anymore and is sleeping until 6.30 - 7.30 each morning which is nice :)
He still goes to daycare on Mondays but as of next year will also go on a Friday too. He really enjoys it now and loves playing with the other kids there and all the cool toys. We recently picked up his class photo's and I will add them to the photo page after this so be sure to check that out on your way out today. (click on the link above to open it in a new page now while you read on).
This week we are building him a big sandpit in our yard. We were planning on the clam shell type but he's growing so fast we thought we'd just progress to the full sized one. Simon will build it about 6ft x 8ft with a tarp cover to keep animals out and a shade cover awning above to keep him safe from the sun. I know how much he loves the one at daycare (he seems to bring half of it home every Monday) so I know he will love one of his own here every day. With summer coming up he'll spend plenty of time in it. And as it will be just near our pool and patio we can watch while relaxing too!
We also got one of those outdoor park benches for our yard yesterday to put up near his big swing out the back....that way he can swing for longer (as he always wants) while mommy can sit nearby and read or just chill out :)
Well I have raved enough for now....the boy awakes so I'd best go
cheers P
September 30th 2004...
Well I had a few moments spare this morning while the boy is napping so thought I would whip out a quick update :)
Caleb's day care experience continues to improve with each passing week...thank god!!! This week when I arrived to collect him I stood right over him for almost 10mins without him even noticing while he sat on a carer's leg, engrossed in their story book. His daily book (the day care sends home a book saying what he did that day, how he was, what he ate and when he slept etc) was filled with comments about what a great day he had and how he was really settled and in a great mood so that was nice to read!
This week we went and purchased a Fisher Price "Royal Potty" for the young Prince *wink* It's pretty cool and looks like a little throne that plays royal tunes when you sit and also when he does anything in the potty. It even comes with a little throne book to read while busy doing your potty thing...hehehe! He's not showing any of the usual signs of being ready for toilet training yet but at least this way he can get familiar with his 'throne' in the mean time ;)
Caleb and I have had some great days recently. One day we packed a lunch and spent the morning in the local kids park and ate a picnic lunch before more play then home for a nap. On Tuesday Caleb's godmother came to stay so we hit the same park again for more play and lunch. Then yesterday I had nothing to do so Caleb and I spent the morning at Maze Mania having a blast! He has finally mastered their steep slippery dip there and spent almost an hour sliding down backwards on his tummy then climbing out and up again to do it all over :)
Yesterday he had his first taste of ice-cream (So good make a soy one) but didn't like it much. If there's one benefit to his dairy allergy it's that he has not developed a taste for sweet or junk food and as usual didn't want a bar of the sweet ice-cream.
We have begun swimming in our own pool again since the weather has warmed and Caleb just loves it!!! I can see us spending a lot of time in it this summer!
Off to specialist this morning for yet another ultrasound. Am going to ask for IVF next month as if we plan to stop in January then I want to exhaust all avenues first. Will keep you posted with how that goes.
We are finally buying a new 4wd drive some time next week or when we find a suitable one. This time a dual cab so we can load Caleb in and go camping this summer too...yey!
Anyway enough for now. Must wake boy and get to this scan.
Cheers P
P.S...
Almost forgot in my holiday round up to mention the markets. The street that our resort was in closed down one day for markets which were not too bad. The better markets though were our day at Eumundi Markets....man those markets are to die for!! Of course most of our purchases there were for Caleb eg sunglasses, noisemaker, battery operated bubbleblowing toys etc. Of course had I had money to burn I could have spent a fortune!!! There were amazing paintings of frangipani's etc that I would have adored. However the $1000 price tag was more than a little out of my price range so I settled instead for some mango body butter and bath fizz....almost the same *wink* Anyway I am off now to update the photo album with all our holiday pics so check them out on your way out :)
September 22nd 2004...
Finally! I have found the time needed for this update :) And time is what you, the reader, will need as this is bound to be a long one!!
I guess I should begin with the longest part.....the holiday.
It was FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC!!!!! We had 8 days and 7 nights of pure blissful luxury and we loved every second of it! The trip there was quick and painless...only a 2 and a half hour drive from where we live. Caleb didn't sleep at all on the way but played happily in the back seat thankfully. In fact most days while away he only had one nap but was so busy and excited that he didn't care in the slightest. I did worry it would effect his home routine but since our return he has quickly settled back into twice daily naps.
When we got there the place was better then we had even imagined it may be. The rooms were elegantly decorated (my first stop was to remove deco glass shelves and vases etc to a Caleb-proof spot) and well appointed. Not only did we have a fully equipped kitchen and laundry but we also had a spa bath on our private balcony that overlooked the pools and the Pumicestone Passage and a spa bath in our bathroom too! The laundry meant that I brought home no dirty clothes (Yeah!) which I loved. Despite our kitchen we only cooked 2 nights out of 7 but that's what holidays are all about....a break from the every day. The resort and grounds were immaculate and by far the most fancy-smancy place we have ever stayed (it was 4.5 star).
As well as many take away dinners we also dined in at Sizzler one day for lunch (my fave family restaurant) and as part of our voucher we had a $50 voucher to use for dinner in Alfie's Restaurant (owned by Alfie Langer). The meal there was divine and Caleb was superbly behaved. A wicked Mango Daiquiri topped off my dinner and it was wicked indeed! :)
We spent one whole day at Australia Zoo and I would recommend it 110% to anyone. Caleb loved to see tigers, crocs, snakes, birds, giant turtles, tas devils, otters etc and to touch koala's, Kangaroo's, and cow's. The grounds are much larger than I had anticipated but so worth every dollar of the admission fee.
Another day saw us visit Underwater World which was fantastic too. Caleb loved to be free of the pram for most of it and run from one tank to another. He loved the 80m tunnel which huge creatures swimming all around and over the top of him too :)
The Bellingham Maze was another days destination. For an admission fee you can wander the huge star shaped hedge maze and try to find your way to the fountain in the centre and out again. Mummy pushed an empty pram while Caleb led the way...and he made it too!! It probably took us about 45mins to get to the centre and back but Caleb really loved this one, eagerly turning one corner after another :)
We also fitted in visits to the Big Pineapple, leisurely walks along the boardwalk, shopping at Stocklands Shopping Centre, daily visits to the surf beach and plays in the massive fountains at Kings Beach and their excellent children's playgrounds. Most days we also swam in the heated resort pools, spas and toddlers wading pools which were right outside our rooms. Not to mention Mummy and Daddy time in the balcony spa after bub was in bed....nothing says luxury like sipping champagne by candlelight in a spa built for two!!
But come checkout time reality called and we were back home in no time. The day after our return we had a Surprise party for Simon's 30th (celebrated while we were away). He was sure I was going to push him out of a plane and was very relieved to find a party awaiting him instead :) (Held at his Mom's house to kept the surprise) People traveled from as far away as Ballina NSW for it and it all went off smoothly (but for a few absences). After the party thinned out we all walked to the beach for some footy and drinks then finished off the night at our house with dozens of Cowboy shots all round.....not so good the next morning!
We, and others, have noticed that our holiday resulted in better running skills for Caleb since he was on his feet in all sorts of terrain every day. From the moment we arrived and he rushed into the room ahead of us, until the moment we left, he just loved his holiday and I know he will love the next one too. We have booked our free week for Feb 20th next year in Surfer's Paradise. It is a 4 star resort this time called Peninsula Resort and if possible sounds even more lush than the last one! This one even has in room massages!!! This time was have paid extra for a 2 bedroom though so we don't disturb Caleb as much at night. For this holiday we plan to hit all the Gold Coast attractions like Dreamworld, MovieWorld, Wet'n'wild, SeaWorld, Ripleys Believe it or Not etc. Not to mention the beach and shopping! Bring on February already!!!!!
The little chatterbox has got another 2 new teeth while we were away filling in the last gaps on his top and the final two gaps in his bottom are coming through now....then only the molars to go.
As for pregnancy attempts....Well the scan on the morning we left showed nothing so after another 3 days of needles I arranged another scan for while we were away but still nothing...in fact the follicles were shrinking!!!! I called the Dr and told him I had to quit at this point as this month had already been more than I could handle and I needed to bring it to an end. So then I had to start progesterone tablets to trigger a period (hopefully to arrive today or tomorrow) then it's back to square one. My doc is back from his holidays now so I can get straight back into it this month instead of the one month delay we had expected. Simon is very concerned about the long term effects of all these drugs and stress on my body and has begged me to give it a rest soon. We have decided to progress until December then if nothing has happened to have at least 3-6 months off. As he says 'what's the use of having a second child if they miss out on growing up with their mom'?
Caleb's day care phoned me this week to say that he had suffered diarrhoea all day but it seems to have settled since then thankfully...who know's what caused it?
I had another dairy free find this week...sliced cheese that's dairy free! Now that's block, sliced and cream cheese covered as well as milk, yogurt, margarine and even ice-cream...who needs dairy!!!
His cheeks have been eczema free for months now and I think....touch wood...that perhaps he may have passed the worst of it??? He has some itchiness on his legs and feet at the moment due to the dry weather but daily sorbelene helps that and other than the self inflicted scratches on his legs at present he has not visible signs of eczema at all........AT LAST!!!
Now that swimming weather is rolling around again I know Caleb will love th pool so much more this year! Simon and I braved a cool dip on the weekend but I think it will still be a good week before it's warm enough for the little man?
Yesterday Caleb and I had a morning at the library followed by play and lunch in the park and he had a blast just the two of us. He loves the other kids in the park and was so tuckered out by the time we got home that he slept for 3hrs before I woke him!!! He had slept in until 8am that morning so one big nap was all he needed.
I have a tonne of photo's to post from our holidays but as he is now napping I think I will leave it here and go and have a read myself. Will hopefully get photo's posted tomorrow....will email when complete!
Cheers P
September 6th 2004...
So much to say, so little time so I must rush through this as fast as I can today.....
First let me update you on the latest baby making attempts. After more injections this month then I have ever had before I went for another scan last Wednesday, hopeful of good news..but NOTHING! I was upset and angry and fed-up and pretty much every emotion possible. So I headed home with instructions for yet another 5 days of needles but this time a dosage higher than I've ever had before. All well and good until the following day when I thought I was getting my period...thank you to my bloody chemist who mucked up the order for my drugs and resulted in two days without needles in the middle of the cycle which doc says probably unsettled the hormone balance and brought on my period. I was devastated by this turn of events and things got even worse when doc said he was away this month so I'd have to wait 2 months for my next turn of treatments. So anyway....it turns out my period didn't arrive so I got back on my needles and have a scan this afternoon. My Doc is on holidays now so isn't aware that my period didn't in fact come and there's every chance that the replacement doc will not get involved as he doesn't know me so I am very ready for a fight when I phone through scan results this afternoon. My doc gave me the letter for my triggering injection already if the scan results are good so if this other doc gives me a hard time I'll just go to my local hospital with the letter, get my injection and to hell with them all....I know the routine so I'll do it myself and just see what happens??????? God and who ever said making babies was meant to be NATURAL!!
But enough of all that. We have all just recovered from the latest round of flu's in this house...except Simon who always misses out? I took Caleb to the doctor after his lingering cough wouldn't clear and it turns out he had a beginning chest and ear infection (his first dose ever of both) so he had a course of antibiotics and all is good now. Then he goes and falls head first off his commodore ricocheting off the wall frame before hitting the tiles and producing a very impressive instant googy-egg on his little forehead. Lucky their noggins are so tough at this aged because boy has he given it some bashes.
We have got a great haul of new summer 2 piece sets in size 2 ready for the changing seasons. I have bought about 5 new matching shirt and short sets and a few singlets and T-shirts and shorts to mix and match so I should be good for clothes until next year now...phew!
Yesterday was of course Father's Day. After giving Daddy his presents (wallet, business card holder for work, super-dad figurine and super-dad photo frame) we settled in to a delicious BBQ bacon and egg breakfast....yummy! Then we spent the morning playing barefoot on the beach, playing in the park and on the swings. Then we shouted Granny to a lovely pub counter meal with us for lunch. Then it was home for naps before visiting poppy (my Dad) in the afternoon. What a day.....it's lucky it only comes once a year!
Now I am running around madly trying to organize everything for our holiday beginning this Friday. As I think I told everyone once before we got one of those holiday packages where we have a 7 night holiday in a 4.5star resort now then have a free 7 night holiday to use at the destination of our choice in the first 6 months of next year. We are very excited about this one because the resort is absolutely lush and we have so many activities planned for during our trip. The apartment is fully self contained with laundry and kitchen facilities, bedroom, living rooms etc and private balcony. It's air-con, with Austar TV and the best part is that we have a spa on our balcony!!!!! How decadent. I know where Daddy and Mommy will be when Caleb gets to bed each night...in the spa with a glass of champers checking out our ocean view (50m from beach). The resort has heated pools so we can all swim all day or night, it has gym, sauna and games room and is only a 2min walk to shops and restaurants. There is also onsite cafe's and boutiques so we'll try to sample those too. Our booking comes with a $50 meal voucher for a restaurant dinner one night too so that will be lovely! From the resort it is only a 30min or less drive to Montville, Maleny and Glasshouse mountains so we hope to visit those on the first weekend and check out the local markets. As well as that we will be doing day trips to nearby Underwater World, Australia Zoo, Corbould Park Racecourse, Big Pineapple, Macadamia Nut Factory, Ginger Factory and many more tourist attractions. We are most eager for Caleb to see underwater world and Aussie Zoo as we know he'll love both. Simon has chosen the zoo to go to on his 30th birthday on Sept 11 so that should be a great day. So much fun and we are soo excited!!!! :) If you want a squiz at the resort check out Grand Pacific Resort website.
Will update with lots of pics and stories on our return (Sept 20). Think of us while we are lapping up our luxury :)
Cheers P
August 26th 2004...
Gee where does the time get to between updates these days??
Nothing major has happened of late. Yesterday we went to a teddybears picnic in the park with Caleb's playgroup which was heaps of fun! Caleb had his first sausage and taste of white bread and thought both was pretty yum-mo! It was so much fun that we are going to go back again, this time with Granny, on Friday's picnic. Our playgroup meets twice a week, the same program both days, and although I usually only go on a Friday it's weeks like this when I may as well go both days as when does Caleb ever not want to go to the park???
Especially as the weather heats up now. We are back up to 26 degrees or so each day now and it's time to start gathering summer clothes again. I am buying everything in size 2 now so that he will get plenty of wear out of them as already some things in size 1 are a little snug.
I picked up a great new all in one swimsuit for him off Ebay this week which I am looking forward to arriving. It too is a new size 2 but as he has still been wearing his size 0 from last summer it will be much better fitting. He continues to love his weekly swimming lessons....even if sometimes mummy or daddy would rather sleep in on a Saturday morning *wink*
Not much chance of that though!! As the weather warms again his morning wake up time is creeping back earlier. 6am to 6.30am is the norm now but he still goes to bed just before 7PM so I'm not complaining. I'm a morning person anyway thank god! We have a new challenge with the nighttime dummy of late too. Now he refuses it because he knows it means sleep time so he has to cry it out until he's more tired again then he'll take it fine and go back to sleep...this works fine during day naps but is a little frustrating in the middle of the night when all I want to do is go back to bed! My lovely friend Marion sent me a dummy clip from Melbourne this week to use to help him keep track of his own dummy during the night....thanks Maz! Last night was only the first night and he seemed pretty interested in it but he has yet to make much use of it as yet. I am using it in his day naps too so hopefully he will get the message that's where he can always find his dummy if he needs it....not to have to scream for mummy to get it...;o)
Caleb is a right little chatterbox lately. He just jabbers away to himself, to us, to the dog, to the walls.....anything!...all day long. He gets quite animated and puts on the face expressions to match like he is having a long and in-depth conversation with you. It is very cute though I wish I knew what he was saying more often??
The smacking us thing seems to be improving though it flares up after daycare days so it's obviously something another kid demonstrates there. I'm going to ask about it next week. We had a bit of an incident there last week when Caleb was given some of a child's birthday cake...a CHEESECAKE!! Now I made his dairy allergy very very clear when he started there and also my anxiety re how this would be managed. His group leader was very apologetic as soon as I reminded her but it's still not good enough! For Caleb it meant a flare up of his eczema last week but for a child with a nut allergy that could have been fatal. I thought about it over the next week then this Monday when I went back I spoke to the Director of the centre about it and wanted to make sure they had policies in place to prevent it happening again. She was most upset about it happening but I stressed that I understand accidents happen, I wasn't that angry but I would be if it happened a second time! I suggested some alerts written on the fridge etc to make all staff, not just regular ones, aware of potential allergies in their charges.
Caleb still loves outdoors and we make time each day when the sun is not at it's hottest to go play outside. He generally wears his gumboots outside (hence I think the recent obsession with them) and knows that they or his hat mean it's outdoors time. I got him a little wheelbarrow and gardening tools set which he loves to push around the yard. He also goes down to his big swing set (that my Dad made for my sisters and I about 30 years ago!!) and gets on himself and just loves it. He also has a hanging seat swing on the patio which he begs to go in all the time too. He hangs out in it while Daddy cooks BBQ's for tea and has a birds-eye view of the proceedings without the risk of getting burnt. He actually had his first real burn this week when he touched the iron while Daddy was using it. He had only just turned it on thankfully but it still gave a nasty little burn to two finger tips....ouch!
He's still obsessed with steps and staircases but thankfully is really good about coming down the safe way backwards. His eating has been great and he loves more of the 'family' foods now which makes evening meals so much easier.
Those of you who know us know what big campers we are and we think it's about time Caleb had his first camping trip....eeek! Now that he's walking fine, eating and drinking everyday foods etc and loving the outdoors I think he would love a weekend camping trip!! I doubt he would have much of a daytime nap in a tent but I know he'd sleep well at night after a huge days play. We'd have to take both cars...Simon's 4wd for the gear and my car for the car seat but otherwise it should be pretty easy...we hope! We are going to get organized to do one soon so will let you know how that goes!
Anyway I still have not uploaded all my latest pics so will try to do that before next entry.
Cheers P
August 16th 2004...
Just a quick entry today. Super-boy is at daycare and I have a hot date with some magazines and my comfy bed :)
Ok so what's been happening around here? Well the boy continues to add more words to his vocab (although most days he just likes to chant dad-eee, dad-eee!), he is getting much better with running and climbing. No major falls yet with the climbing as thankfully he is mastering the climbing down part at the same time.
We have a major thing going on at the moment with his new galoshes....he won't accept anything else!!! Even the mere suggestion of sneakers or slippers prompts a flood of tears and wails for his gumboots. So he has been wearing them everywhere and even went to daycare in them today :) If anyone has seen the Adam Sandler movie BigDaddy I know it's only a matter of time until Caleb insists on dressing like 'scuba-steve' everyday as the kid in the movie did! hehehe. This is his first real attachment to any clothing or any real desire to have a say in his outfit...I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later!
Each morning after breakfast is still Telletubbies time....and boy does he not let me forget it. He only gets to watch it through once and only in the morning but he seems happy with this and I am determined not to have a child that rules my TV with kids videos played over and over and over and.....well you get the point.
We went on our trip to Brisbane and Ballina last weekend for my sister Vicki's 35th birthday (Happy birthday old gal....hehehe...she's just joined the online world and I know she'll love being reminded how old she is when she reads this!!!!!) *snicker* Anyway both nights with my sisters were soooo noisy but Caleb slept fine. Then on our final night we stopped in a motel on the way home and despite the silence he woke up off and on all night!!! Derr...what's with that??
Anyway we were all happy to be home again. Only about 5 more weeks until our 7 night holiday in Caloundra...can't wait!
We are continuing to include more 'family meals' in Caleb's diet and this week he has enjoyed chicken soup, pea&ham soup, chicken and chips and spaghetti bolognaise with us. Each time I freeze a few serves as well for future nights. I also found some great dairy-free fruit bars in the health food section of Woolies that he now loves. But then what doesn't he love?? *wink*
Caleb had daycare photo's taken last week and I got to see the proofs this morning - they were excellent! I will post them onto pics page when I receive my copies in a few weeks. Also have more pics to post but will wait and add them all at the same time.
We received a giant box of Dr Seuss books in the mail today. We got the full set from Scholastic as they are his/our fave books. The melody in the rhymes are classics.
No baby again this month. Back on my needles again tomorrow. Usually I have tablets first then needles but this month we are going straight for the big guns. Fingers crossed it proves more successful then the last 4 months have. Only this and one more month before I can progress to the full ivf and hopefully better odds.
Caleb and his puppy Mojo are the best of friends and play together all day long. Unfortunately Mojo is chewing everything and over the weekend burst Caleb's inflatable ball pit...muttly!!!
Anyway I think that's enough for today. My magazines are calling!
Cheers P
July 29th 2004...
Finally!......after weeks of trying to find the time to update I have at least a few minutes now to make a start. I am now officially working again! I went back to work at one day a week and it wasn't so bad. Simon comes home early from work on the day and he and Caleb love their one on one 'boytime' :) Caleb does fine without me here but can be a little clingy on the day after I have worked....but then after missing a night with him I too am a little clingy to him - lots of mummy cuddles! I am getting paid a sinful amount of money for only 2 days work a fortnight and it certainly makes it worthwhile. For now I intend to continue on 1 day a week until going on my next maternity leave (hopefully this December??)
As for the baby thing......well no luck again last month......what a surprise! I am now well into this months treatments and this arvo head out for my 3rd ultrasound in the last week....lucky I'm earning money now to pay for all this. The scans alone cost me $80 each after medicare, then there are medications and specialists consults too. So hopefully, hopefully this month will work. It's a waiting game for now....I have done 4 cycles and Doc says if no luck by 6th cycle then we will move up to full IVF....eeek! Then I'll feel the money pinch I bet!!!
Caleb continues to settle into daycare well. He still gets very upset when I leave but they tell me he settles within a minute or so which helps me to keep walking. We have no plans to increase the frequency beyond one day a week at this stage.
Poor bub is having a shocking time with tooth #11 and #12 coming through on his bottom jaw. They are big double ones and he now goes through at least 3 dribble bibs a day. I got a stack of the plastic backed one's to catch the drool and it keeps his clothes and chest dry. He is just getting over a bit of a cold but nothing too bad. His cheeks are awesome of late and we really hope we might have seen the worst of the eczema....touch wood. You can now only see the barest redness on most days and it's great! We have kept up the 1/2 orange a day and are careful what new foods we introduce. He had strawberries and sliced chicken meat yesterday and they are a little redder today. We also had a brief flare up after sliced ham once so we might have to ditch that idea. I am sick of giving him cream cheese or vegemite sanga's though. I'm going to get some avocado today for his sandwich which should be a nice change and I know he loves avo from when he had mushed up avo as a starter food. I tried something different with this weeks tea cook up....a chicken and vegetable pumpkin risotto which seems to have passed the taste test. I just do something different each week and store serves in the freezer so I can mix and match for a different dish each night. I made sure to stash a heap of the bacon hock/split pea soup I made recently as I know that is one of his absolute favorites!! :)
Caleb had his second sleepover at Granny's two weeks ago while we went out to dinner and drinks at the Tavern. Played a few pokies and just relaxed with friends over dinner and drinks and it was lovely. Again he slept in for her too!!!! What's with that. Here he sleeps until 6.30 to 7.30am on a good day but there he sleeps until close to 8'o'clock??? Little terror!
He is still loving his bookshelf and takes great delight in pulling each and every book off the self then playing with and amongst them. We finally picked up a portable high-chair the other day...the sort that clip directly onto your kitchen table. We are going to visit my sisters in Brisbane and Ballina next week and it will be great to chuck this little seat in the car instead of the big bulky highchair. I have taken a few pics of Caleb showing his approval of it and have posted them...and stacks of all new pics...on the photo's page for you to view.
We added 2 giant clamshells (for a sandpit and lid) to his Xmas stash at the Toyworld toy sale this week. I also added an art easel that is painting/whiteboard/magnetic and chalkboard all in one. It looks great and it will make his painting much easier and much less mess and paint on bricks and fences as we get now. That
is it now for Xmas...this boy is so spoilt! hehehe. I had to grab a cute little pair of gumboots while we were shopping too as he loves exploring our yard but often gets wet shoes or slippers due to the dew on the grass. Now he can explore in early morning and late arvo with dry tootsies (I avoid midday sun). Every time I am served in a shop and say thank you and bye to the cashier he gives them a big wave bye-bye too :) Quite the little charmer!
His speech is rapidly progressing now and he chitter chatters almost non-stop while going about his daily business. He can communicate most wants to us now and seems very pleased with himself. He has also learnt to rouse on the animals...don't know where he would have got that from *blush* Simon and I are now trying to curb our language as it's only a matter of time before a swear word appears if we don't stop now.
He is going through a bit of a phase of smacking us too which we are very serious about stopping. I'm not sure where he learnt it but when he does it he is told that we don't smack people if we are angry and I won't play with him or hold him if he smacks me. He hates being reprimanded and drops the bottom lip and springs on the water works....he knows mummy is a sucker for tears!!!
Caleb has now discovered Telletubbies in a huge way! We watch one video of them each morning only as we don't want to encourage too much TV or to use it as a babysitter. A friend lent us a stack of their videos and I have bought a DVD for our own collection too. I find myself singing tubbie songs all day long....doh! I don't mind him watching once a day though as they cover shapes, and sounds, actions, feeling, weather and all sorts of things. They obviously know how to target the toddlers as he will come running from another room if he hears it start without him.
I'm sure Caleb is intent on sending me grey early as he loves climbing now. Many a time I have found him up on the lounge. He knows how to get down normally but now he is branching out and climbing down over the armrest...a much higher and more awkward maneuver. I can only supervise until he gets it down pat as he's going to do it anyway and better he learns how to do it safely.
We have a new addition to our family too. A gorgeous little Maltese x shitzu (?spell) puppy named Mojo. See pics page for a peek at him. Caleb and Mojo are already firm friends and Mojo follows him around all day to play and try to eat his toys. He's a bit of a chewer but we are working on him. He's only 9wk's old so still a babe. He has already learnt house training and lets himself out of cat flap to do his business then trots back inside pleased as punch with himself. He's such a little cutey!
Caleb went to his friends 3rd birthday party on the weekend and they had a jumping castle! He discovered he LOVES them and spent most of the party on that or their swing set. I took heaps of jumping castle pics so see them too when you visit the pics page.
Finally Caleb will meet his Aunty Alicia (Simon's sister) when she visits for the first time from Townsville this weekend. We are very excited about this meeting and have been telling Caleb all about who is to meet. Should be fun.
Well anyway...time to get the munchkin up form a nap and go to post office. Am glad to finally get this update complete. Don't forget to view the pics page before you leave.
Cheers P
July 6th 2004...
Hello everyone! Feeling great on this gorgeous Tuesday morning! After Caleb wakes from his nap he and I are heading to the park for a play on the swings, a walk out on the beach and a picnic lunch on the grass....perfection :)
Ok so what has been happening of late?? Well on the weekend Simon and I hired bikes and went on a 18km/3hr bike ride along the Esplanade. Caleb did great in the bike seat and absolutely loved the day spent out in the fresh air and his picnic lunch in the park.
That night he had his first overnight stay at Granny's house and he did GREAT! He only cried for a second as I was leaving and was already over it before I had even pulled out the driveway. He had his Unky Ben give him a bath....ate tea, had a play, then into bed....and the little monkey slept through until 8am. Now not only does he hardly ever do that here but he never does it in the noisy port-a-cot any other time we have been away! He woke briefly at 5am, looked around then promptly went back to sleep. I'm guessing the morning swim lesson followed by all day riding around on the back of daddy's bike must have tuckered the little guy out? In any case we were all really pleased with how it went and are all eager to repeat the experience again soon. It was surreal to come home that night and find his cot empty and to both get to lie in bed the next morning without one of us having to get up to him. And when I went to collect him the next morning he was in such a good mood that Granny and I decided to take him to the markets instead of just straight home so we wandered around he markets for an hour or so and got some great bargains....ahh Sundays *wink*
Still another week before I do my pregnancy test this month but I feel 95% certain it will be negative this month. I had such high hopes last month and was so upset when it failed yet again that I think it's best to just expect the worst and then you can be pleasantly surprised if you are wrong???
My friend had a gorgeous baby girl on 1st July named Sarah Rosie .... CONGRATULATIONS to you all! I went up to the hospital on the weekend and got to hold her...she was tiny and just perfect :o) I had forgotten how little they were as newborns. Of course my arms were sprouting feathers I felt so clucky! I am going to visit them at home later this week and can't wait to spend some more time with little Sarah :o)
My other friend and her son have been meeting up with Caleb and I on a weekly basis for a playdate for the boys which has been great. This week we are heading to Maze Mania tomorrow so I know Caleb will love that! Yesterday was of course day-care day and it went well again...thankfully. He screams blue murder when I leave but they all say he settles within a minute or so after I have departed. He also slept for an hour and a half during nap time yesterday. That must be a sign he is settling in more too as in the past few weeks he has only slept 25-45mins at most. Tomorrow night Granny and I are going to a meeting at the daycare center for a mob who sells educational toys to show us their wares and give catalogues etc. Should be fun...and granny says she wants some Xmas present ideas.
Speaking of Xmas I have put my first layby down for Caleb. A leapfrog learning pad, a table and chair set and a big Tonka truck at Toyworld. We still have the Target toy sale on later this month yet so I'm sure something will grab my eye at it too.
I can't believe I am going back to work in two days time!!! It seems totally surreal but I guess at one day a week how bad can it be right??? The worst thing will be getting home about midnight then getting up to him early the next morning. I'll just have to have daytime naps when he does the following day after working I reckon.
Found a great fruit bar for Caleb this week. I don't like all the additive and possible allergens in the regular sugary ones but I found one in the health food section that is 100% apple and apricot...absolutely nothing else...and he loved it! It looks like one of those 'rollup' things? He has also discovered how much he loves mandarins this last week too. Gosh that boy is a fruitbat!
He is so funny with the continued hand clapping. Anytime we say 'good-boy' he starts clapping his hands for himself. Which ordinarily is fine...except when, like this morning, when I was praising his self spooning technique over breakfast he broke into applause with a spoon full of weetbix in one hand...very messy!!
We had to go out an buy him his own little bookcase last week too. He was gathering far too many to keep them all on his dresser like we had. They kept falling over every time I opened or shut a drawer and he wasn't able to enjoy them up there. We still get a dozen books from the library each week and he was taking such good care of them that we figured he could have access to his own at any time without fear of him ripping all the pages out or something? So now he has his bookshelf in his room and takes immense delight in going in and spreading them all form one end of his room to the other. Of course this means that he is constantly bringing me books to read to him at all times of the day....but I can hardly complain if he wants to read a book can I? That's one passion I want to continue to encourage. Mind you the crafty little devil has figured out how to reach through his cot for them and sometimes when he wont settle to sleep I find it is because he is in this cot playing with books or lying back holding one up as if to read it....rascal he is!
I must upload some more recent pics to his album some time in the next week too. Will keep you posted. Otherwise I think I have rambled enough for one day.
Cheers P
June 28th 2004...
Just a quick update about the baby making. Well after the 2 different courses of pills and the recent course of daily injections I had a scan this afternoon and there was a big fat follicle there (21mm) so now I have to drive to our neighboring town 30mins away at 8am tomorrow for a triggering injection. This HCG injection triggers the follicle to release the egg (ovulate) 36 hours later. So we then have to do 'the deed' at 8pm on Wednesday night and all going well we may make our next baby. As many of you know I have reached this point many times before without success so nothing is guaranteed....but you gotta be in it to win it right? Wish me luck!
Tomorrow is also my 29th birthday so maybe that will give me some good luck - do you think?
Cheers P
June 23rd 2004...
Ok guys and gals....just a quick follow on from yesterdays update (if you haven't read it yet you might want to read the below entry first then come back to this one).
Day care....well......it went great!! :o) PHEW with a capital PH! I resisted the urge to ring and just went along at about 3pm to collect him after he had been there since 9.30am and Miss Carmie said he had a 'great' day! Based on his reaction when I left you could have blown me over with a feather when she said that. She too said she was relieved as she hated giving me bad news every week...bless her.
Apparently he had a ball climbing on the outdoor equipment, riding bikes, reading books and making animal noises. Just some of the things I listed for her as she asked so that she had a list of what he liked doing that she could use to help settle him in bad times.
When I arrived he took ages to even notice me as he was busy playing with some buckets outside. I walked right up and stood over him and it wasn't until his eyes had reached my face that recognition set in....then of course it was arms up 'pick me up and never put me down mummy'.....hehehe Not that I ever want to anyway as I miss him so much on day care days!
I forgot to say in yesterdays update that he had his first haircut at the hairdressers last week. He sat really well for it and now looks super cute with the straight cut back and little side burn like cut around his ears.
And the pea and ham soup last night was a huge success. He devoured a huge bowl of it along with bread and butter triangles to dunk :o) So now I am going to add some left over serves of it to the freezer for future nights.
This morning we got the Toyworld Xmas sale catalogue and I already know what I want to lay-by for him. A big Tonka tip-truck, a Leapfrog learning pad, a jumping castle and a little table and chairs set. About $190 all up but as I have 6 months to pay off the layby I think it will be great.....so long as Daddy agrees when I show him tonight :o)
Despite what I said in my second last entry about having a month off from my fertility treatments....I have in fact started again a week ago. The specialist rang and said it wasn't too late and I just thought...oh what the hell....gotta be in it to win it right?? So I have yet again turned into a human pill bottle....and I have a scan tomorrow arvo which will probably signal the start of the injection run too. God I hope it works this time. Not only does it cost about $500-600 a month but the physical and psychological toll on me, and Simon are huge! Fingers crossed.
We are off to Granny's for Caleb's lunch today as it's a rainy sort of day with nothing better to do. Besides Caleb loves visiting Granny and her pooch and she loves to have Caleb visit too of course. I hope he says his new 'nanny/granny' word for her while he's there :o)
Cheers
P
June 22nd 2004...
Well it's D-day again....daycare day....Eeek! This morning I dropped the little fella off and struggled to keep walking out the door while he screamed and fully fretted for me. It is so damn hard I am just about ready to chuck it all in. However...he has been there 3.5 hours so far and no phone call so he must have settled....I hope??? I won't know for sure until I go to pick him up this afternoon and I don't want to ring because if he is upset then I will just want to go and collect him. Man when does this get easier???
We didn't make it away for our trip over the weekend as Simon is completely flat strap in his business but hopefully we intend to do it in the next few weeks still.
Several days last week we went for long walks along the Esplanade and had lunch in the park and fun on the swings. He still loves his long walks and Granny and her pooch come to most of them. Yes she has now changed back to Granny from Grammy....and we won't be changing it again as Caleb has just started saying what sounds exactly like nanny so we are guessing that's his early attempts at Granny :o) It sounds so sweet too!
His latest trick now is big smacking 'blow kisses'....he makes kissey noises into the palm of his hand then holds it out towards us :o) He's still working on the blow bit....and I'm not even sure were he got it from....I do it if I am driving away from him sometimes so I guess maybe from me??
He has added ham sandwiches (wholemeal of course) to his latest favorite lunchtimes. I had held off on the processed meat for ages thinking it may irritate his eczema...and we have had a little flare up but when it comes to eczema it's near impossible to ever be sure what causes one flair up or another?? He also loves corn thins (like thin rice cakes) with vegemite or creamed cheese and has a sandwich of them each day for morning tea lately so that may have contributed to the eczema also?? He really loves them though and they really help while shopping or any waiting is involved....hehehe.
Yesterday he had his chickenpox vaccine at the Doctor's and it was by far the best yet as he had only a tiny scream then was over it quickly. I am so relieved he has had it now and chickenpox can cause so many nasty complications...not to mention with skin like his I imagine! Chickenpox is not yet one of the routine govt. funded vaccines and neither is the pneumococcal one either. The chickenpox vacc cost me $60 and the course of 4 pneumococcal (not the govt. funded standard meningococcal) costs in excess of $600.....BUT....the doc explained to me yesterday that if they wait until they are 18months for it there is only one needle needed...and if you wait until after January1st it will be govt. funded too...yey! She said it is quite rare and not as many kiddies get it due to the costs involved but I will be relieved to get it regardless. I am a strong advocate for immunizations and I for one will be making sure my son is protected.
We and some friends had a big day out at Maize Mania on the weekend and this time Caleb played in the big kids maize instead of the toddler area. We had to watch him pretty close so that big kids hurtling out of slippery dips or rocketing around the jumping castle didn't hurt him but otherwise it was great. He was quite fascinated by the castle and what the big kids could do on it.
Another thing that he is fascinated totally with at home (as well as light switches, door remotes and buttons in general) is the heater. Now that the mercury has taken a decent dive down into winter we have been using our reverse cycle air con to warm the house overnight....mmmm toasty! He wants to be hoisted up close to it over and over again and can barely walk under it without stopping to stare up at the vents and lights.....hehehe!
We went and got another mother-load of library books on the weekend. Honestly that boy just cannot get enough of books!! We are also getting the full Dr Seuss series (our favorite) sent to us progressively from Scholastic and that...plus his already mountainous pile of his own books are quickly needing their own bookshelf. The book ends on top of his drawers are just not holding the weight any more!! hehehe My boy the book worm :o)
Anyway speaking of books....I think I shall go and tuck up in bed with a good one before having a little nanna-nap! May as well enjoy my day off right?? I already have a big pot of pea and ham soup on the go for tonight and my housework is done so time to treat me for a change :o) I am going to try Caleb with some soup and bread dunks for tea too....Yummy.
Goodnight!
P
June 16th 2004...
Well day care this week was much worse then I had hoped. When we arrived he screamed this horrible high pitched wail just when I went to put his lunch and drinks in the fridge....then when I left - oh boy! Anyway that was at 9.30 and when I phoned up at 11am I could here him screaming in the background, they said he had refused his morning tea and was very upset today. So I went and collected him. By that time however they were all sitting around in a little circle playing with 'noisy animals' and he seemed quite content. But he had seen me by then though so I couldn't go and leave him again! So better luck next week I guess?? At least that was what I had though this week :o( Miss Carmie said it's quite normal and that she would be worried if a toddler didn't miss his mummy at first so fingers crossed it will pass soon.
Swimming class on the other hand went well! It was mummy's turn in the water this week and he went well. Got a little grumpy towards the end during what would have been his usual nap time but overall he really seems to enjoy it.
We have another new tooth coming through this week...tooth number 10. Another one on the upper back, right this time to match the one on the upper back left. I think they are molars but it's hard to tell if it's that or the last tooth that will be beside the first molar? In any case it's making him a little irritated but nothing too bad.
Caleb is really into throwing balls of late and loves throwing one for Grammy's excitable little lapdog. He kicks inflatable balls and soccer balls around the house...following it as he goes having a grand old time.
The scary thing of late is that he wants to climb everything that stays still long enough...and some that don't! I find him in odd places like standing IN kitchen drawers, climbing onto the bottom shelf of his change table and trying to scale boxes and nappy buckets. Thankfully he hasn't had a bad fall yet but as he can get on the lounge I would say it's only a matter of time before he tries to climb over the back of it.....down onto hard tiles.....eeek!
He got his first membership card last week when he joined the local library :o) He is still totally obsessed with books and we go and get him a dozen library books each week for him to paw through. We put them on a low shelf in his room and he never tires of sitting down flicking through them or dragging them out to us to be read over and over again! His favorite is one called 'egg's cup' which we have borrowed twice now as he loves it so much. I've even ordered it, and some more in the series from the bookshop so he can own it for good. We say to him "where's googy googy" and he'll go through all his books, pick it out and bring it to us!!! Anyway now that he is a library member he can get a whole 12 to himself without having to use either of our cards which is great. This week we also borrowed 3 of their children's video's and we have finally found something that he watches....and loves.....Telletubbies!!! Nothing else has ever even caught his attention but he loves those little brightly colored baby-babbling creatures. Maybe it is because of the baby talk?? In any case he will watch it, bop a little to it and last week a little girl on it invited the viewers to clap hands with her and Caleb did!! I nearly fell over backwards!!! Since then he has become clapping mad and thinks everything deserves a good round of applause :o)
He also likes the morning show on ABC 'Big blue house'....he loves to try to touch the big bear and puppets that bop around the screen.
It looks like Simon's work will prevent our planned travel for this weekend but we still hope to do it in the next week or so to give Caleb that extra chance for travel.
As for the baby attempts....well I was devastated to find that I was not pregnant this month. We have decided to take at least one month off....maybe more....to give myself a rest both physically and emotionally. It is hard to fail over and over again....you would think that after 6yrs of failed attempts I would be used to it but I am not. And I want to slap the next all-knowing person who tells me 'oh well at least you have Caleb'. Of course I am glad for that....more then these people will probably ever realise....but that doesn't mean that to go through all that I do only to fail at the end is not heartbreaking. I tell you I dare someone to say that to me again!!!! Grrr.
Anyway...that's enough of a whinge for me :o)
Hope everyone liked the new album.....it's much quicker for you to view...and so much quicker for me to create...yey!
I'm off now to Ebay for a bit while bub sleeps. Talk more soon.
Cheers P
June 10th 2004...
Just a quick update today :o)
Well Caleb started with his first swimming lesson last weekend. I have wanted him to go for ages but Simon was adamant that as we had our own pool we could teach him ourselves....quite a bone of contention I might add. I felt that while we could certainly get him familiar with the pool we don't have to skills to teach him what may one day save his life. Also unlike the indoor heated pool at his lessons, Caleb can only use our pool 6 months out of the year and what is learnt one summer may be lost by the next. Anyway I did eventually wear him down *wink* and we joined...yey!
The lessons run for 30mins on a Saturday morning and all the maneuvers and exercises are done to rhymes and sing-songs and he seemed to really enjoy it. Simon went in with him last week and this week it is my turn :o) Can't wait.
Caleb's second day at day care this week went much better than the first too....a big sigh of relief for mummy!!! The problem I had was that their nap time was too early for his afternoon nap and too late for his morning nap. So on Monday I woke Caleb up early thinking I could squeeze in his morning nap before we went....big mistake!! Not only had he woken up early but then he didn't settle for his morning nap in time so we had to head off without it...eeek! The good bit though was that we arrived in time for morning tea this time so Caleb barely gave me a backwards glance when he had his sultana's and drink in front of him. This time he arrived at 9.30 and stayed through until almost two-o-clock. They said he did much better this week and while he cried off and on he also played alone and with the other kiddies off and on too. He was glad to see me in the afternoon but was in a great mood too. He became a little clingy later on in the evening and later this week but overall much improved from the first week where I had major second thoughts as to whether or not I was doing the right thing?? My only other niggling concern is that everyone at day care seems to have snotty , runny noses and I hope Caleb doesn't pick up every bug going around. So far so good but I guess we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Par for the course with day care centres I guess??
His new skill this week is clicking his tongue. He combines that with his favorite loud lip smacking and he cruises around the house like a one man band...hehehe!
He's also obsessed with switches at the moment and can't pass a light without wanting to practice turning it on and off. He's also worked out how to turn the tele off and on too which can be a little frustrating....not as much though as how much he likes to play with the dishwasher buttons and I come back to think a load is done only to find that a certain little someone has turned it off! We now always save the remote control garage door for him to operate too and he gets a real kick out of watching how he makes the giant door roll up and down.
Next weekend we are off to see his Aunties, Uncles and cousins in Brisbane and Ballina for 3 nights....one night in Brisbane, then one in Ballina, then another in Brisbane before heading home. We want to give him plenty of travel opportunities so he remains a good traveler. So far he's only had two trips to Maroochydore and one to Tweed Heads so he was well and truly due for another. And since my whole family is gathering in Ballina for my cousins 8th birthday party we thought what better time to hit the road again than now :o)
Sadly my time to return to work is drawing ever nearer. I have emailed my boss today to negotiate my return. I only want to come back at one day a week for now (evening shift only...or day or evening shift on the weekends). Simon will watch Caleb so it won't mean any extra day care time for him but it will mean some extra cash for us. I plan to stay at one day a week until hopefully signing up for another maternity leave sometime soon (will do the test this weekend....so if not this month then fingers crossed for next). I'm not sure that my boss will be too happy about such minimal work hours but we'll see what happens. I believe he has to accommodate me until Caleb is 2yrs old anyway so I am ready to fight him on it!
On a final note I just wanted to say that my old frustrations over updating the photo's page is now a thing of the past. Not only has our new digital camera (and new video camera) made uploading better quality pictures much faster and easier but also Homestead site builders have also introduced a great new (and FREE) photosite feature. It uploads my pics to the site super fast and displays them in great album format. You will find it by the usual link to the photo's page in the upper left corner of this page. To view the full caption and description of each pic, plus a larger image just click on it and it opens really fast! Yey!!! For anyone wanting to bookmark the photo page direct it is http://calebsite.photosite.com/.
Well that's enough for today....so much for my quick update huh? *blush*
Time to wake the munchkin up then we are heading off to the esplanade for a big walk with Grammy. Till next time....
Cheers P
June 1st 2004...
Finally....I have found some time to get a long overdue update started :o)
After 4 flu's back to back myself it was hardly surprising that Caleb got a second dose of it too. He has had a nasty cough that kept him (and then of course me) up most nights for about a week. That has finally settled down in the last week and we are gratefully back to 7pm-7am sleeps. Some nights he will wake once or twice for a dummy, other nights not at all. We even had an 8am sleep in the other morning which was a record!! More of those please ;o) In all seriousness though, the 7-7.30 am wake ups in this colder weather is perfect for us all. Simon's up and off to work at that time anyway so Caleb gets a daddy cuddle and goes outside to wave him goodbye and Mummy gets that extra 30mins sleep in the morning which is heavenly. I still get up 20-30mins before Caleb just to get myself ready for the day but that is becoming later and later as his sleep extends. He continues to have 2 day naps...totally about 3hrs and that seems to suit him well for now.
Since the last entry Caleb has been to his first show/carnival and loved every minute of it. We stayed about 3hrs and he never once complained in the pram because the sideshow games, big loud rides and scores of people kept him more than interested. Caleb had his first ride on a Ferris wheel with mommy and watched Daddy ride the 'mean mother zipper'. He loved the bird arena with all the award winning chickens, roosters and other birds. We also took him into the baby animal petting zoo which was a real hit! I've got heaps of show pictures to post so be sure to check them out on your way out too. We got him a Thomas the tank engine show bag which although pricey at $18 had heaps more stuff then were in showbags when I was a kid. He got a Thomas backpack, food esky, money box, play cube, notebook, inflatable chair and bubble blowing watch. We really wanted a cat-in-the-hat showbag as that is his fave book but we settled for a stuffed c-i-t-h Cat instead as the bag had stuff he couldn't really play safely with anyway. All up it was a great day and now we can't wait until next years show rolls around and he is old enough to ride alone on the merry-go-round etc. Daddy won him a stuffed snake off one of the sideshows too and gave him a shoulder walk thorough the crowds which he just loved....and Caleb though it was great too *wink*
Ok well it's now June 3rd....see I knew I wouldn't get that last entry finished :o) Now where was I...?
Caleb has broken another tooth in the last few weeks too. One day nothing then the next time you look it's like...hello! This one is on the upper left side towards the back. I don't know if it's a molar or not but it's huge so must be pretty uncomfortable for the poor thing. That's tooth number 9 now!!
We picked up our Pixi photo last week (cripes I just jumped out of my skin when a bloody mickeybird just flew into the window right beside my head with an almighty crash!!!!)....yes anyway.....the pic was gorgeous so I'll post it on the photo's page too.
Caleb is trying desperately to jump at the moment after taking much delight in mommy and daddy jumping on the spot the other day. He buckles his legs down and then pops up but has not chance of lifting off the floor yet :o)
We are going to the library almost weekly now to update the library books for the little bookworm. We get 12 at a time and they are kept on a shelf in his room which he can reach and he never tires off going in to look at them several times a day. He spends ages flicking through the pages one after the other. He sure does love his books!
His vocab continues to expand with his current repertoire including book, puss-puss, light, plane, moo, hello, mamma, dadda, hot, and the other night he was working on puppy while playing with Grammy's pooch (her knew name from formerly Granny ....she thought is was so much cuter to be Grammy and I agree totally).
Caleb also understands more spoken words now like Daddy's home, lets go for a walk, let's go for a drive, lets go out on the swing, do you want a drink, where's the puss-puss etc. He'll go to the appropriate place eg door or garage and wait excitedly.
The other most significant event of this week was his first day at day-care on Monday!!!! There was tears on both sides but overall I am very proud of how he went. We went together for the first 1/2 hour then I left him for an hour. He cried when I left and they said he cried on and off during the hours but with no actual tears...just crying for mummy :o( I then came back after he had eaten his lunch and we went away for an hour while the other kids napped then he went back for another hour without me. Again he cried when I left but they said he settled for quite some time after the initial upset. By the time I collected him he was very tired and more than a little distraught by the days events but overall his group leader 'Miss Carmie' said he did really well. Next week we will shorten his pre-daycare morning nap so that he will be tired enough to nap when the other kids do this time and I will leave him there for a continuous period of probably about 10-2pm....eventually working up to 10-4pm or so each week. There are about 6-8 other kids there with 2 staff and they seem very caring and responsible with them. I was a bit tearful myself the first time I left and heard his cries all the way out but I'm sure it will get easier with time. That afternoon he was extra clingy to me but again I think that will improve as he gets used to it more.
This weekend we are starting him on learn to swim classes and tomorrow he is back to his regular play group after a few weeks break over show holidays etc. Gee already he has such a busy little life :o)
This last month the fertility treatments have been rather intense for me and in the last 25 days I have swallowed 120 tablets, given myself 9 injections and put my body through 5 internal ultrasounds!!! But the good news is that I had the last triggering injection Saturday morning and we had to do 'the deed' at precisely 8.35pm on Sunday (lucky it was after Big Brother eviction had finished *wink*) and now I am finished with it all until next Sunday while I wait to do a pregnancy test. I have a really good feeling about this month and unlike the last month I am fairly certain I did achieve ovulation this month. That still of course only gives me the 'regular person' chance of 1in 3 of conceiving so keep everything crossed for me you guys!!!
In other baby news we heard last night that Simon's sister is now expecting her own first bub sometime in early 2005.....Congratulations Alicia and Andrew!!!!
Well Caleb has spent the afternoon at Grammy's today and I'm sure it's almost time to get him so I'm going to dash now and try to finish the photo's page as well while I am on a roll.
Cheers P
May 10th 2004...
Just a quick update today. I was in here doing my pics page anyway so thought I might add a couple of lines about our Mother's Day yesterday.
Caleb (with Daddy's help) made sure I had a lovely day :o) First I had a sleep in then was greeted with a pressie which Caleb took much pleasure in helping me unwrap. He got me the double CD Aerosmith Anthology...one of my oldest fave bands....isn't he a clever little boy???
Then Caleb's granny joined us for a lovely BBQ breakfast cooked by Simon...Yum! After Caleb's nap we then all went to maze mania for a couple of hours play before dropping granny home and having a lovely afternoon nap :o) It was a lovely Mother's Day by all accounts!
Caleb had another first on Saturday...clapping! He was sitting on Daddy's knee at Granny's place and Simon said 'you should be able to clap like this'...and showed him....then he just did it! Which of course brought on rounds of applause from us...which led to more clapping and so it went on :o)
He is also phone mad a the moment. We have 3 different phones in our place but the only one he can reach is the one in the study. He takes great delight in picking it up every time he comes in here...holding it to his ear and saying 'ello'. He also loves our mobiles so much that we dug out Simon's old one from the cupboard and now that's his own mobile play phone. He already has our old home phone to play with too so soon he'll have more phones then us *wink*
We had another pixi photo done on the weekend which we get to pick up in about 3wks. The funny thing was when we approached the photographers desk Caleb looked up at her and said clear as a bell "hello"! Simon and I were both like....'did he just say hello' as we had never heard him say it to anyone else without prompting like that! Quite the little social butterfly he is!
I finally made him those tuna and corn balls from my recipe book yesterday and he loved them!! And they were so easy to make:
-In a bowl mix 1/2 cup creamed corn, 100g flaked tuna in springwater and 1 cup rice.
-mould into small balls then dip in flour, whisked egg then bread crumbs.
-finally shallow fry on medium heat for 10mins then use some paper towel to take away any excess oil.
-That's it! easy and delicious. I made a double batch up and got about 30 balls and have frozen the rest for future meals.
I forgot to mention in my last update too that we have expanded our family. We are still feeling lost without a pooch since Coda has left us but we didnt' feel a toddler was the kindest thing to inflict on a little puppy so we got a bird! A beautiful litle guildion finch (see pics page) which we have named 'Birdie" because that's a word Caleb is already familiar with. He just loves his little birdie and loves to uncover him in the moring!
Anyway...as I said just a quick update today. Don't forget to check out the all new pics page on your way out!
Cheers P
May 6th 2004...
Well I don't know how much of this update I will get finished today as bug-a-lugs is due to wake from his morning nap any time soon and we are heading out for a nice long walk when he does. But as I have been trying to get a chance to get on here all week any start is better than none.
With the recent cooler weather here we have had to rug up of late...I even went out and got Caleb some new mittens and a beanie for our early morning walks. He just loves walking so much how could I let the cold stop us? This morning he found his spare stroller in the study and climbed up in it then cried and pointed to the front door!!! I ended up walking to the shop for the paper and an OJ just to give him a bit of a ride. I tell you that boy has me wrapped around his little finger *wink*
I still haven't got to try out any more of my new recipes since the beef casserole but I have all the ingredients now to try the tuna and corn balls in the next day or so I'm hoping they are as bigger hit as the casserole was...and continues to be thanks to frozen portions also.
We have had some new toothy pegs arrive this week. He has now broken out with tooth number 7 and number 8, on either side of the two he already had down the bottom. That makes 4 top and bottom now! We have had to put those small plastic backed bibs on him during the day as he is drooling so much his shirt and singlet gets soaked through in now time....not nice to have a wet chest in the cool weather! This way we just take off the bib when we get out of the car and he is dry and comfortable.
I was worried he may have knocked some of his teeth out yesterday after a nasty fall off his commodore. He was using his feet, as he does, to cruise around the house on it until it got stuck and tipped forwards with him on it. He kept his hands on the steering wheel and just face planted full force into the tiles. I watched it happen but couldn't get there in time to save him :o( He screamed the house down for ages and his little mouth was bleeding everywhere, he got a googy egg on his forehead and a big fat lip....poor little darlin'!!! He had some panadol and fell asleep being cuddled in my arms afterwards but has woken today with just a little head bruise and mark on his lip and thankfully all teeth still in tact...thank god!
He is kissing absolutely everything at the moment....mummy and daddy all the time but also the kitty cat, his stuffed toys, the windows and Granny if she's lucky *wink* He gives big wide mouthed slobbery (of course) kisses but they are just the best thing ever. At night when we kiss him goodnight he just keeps leaning from one of us to the other kissey - kissey - kissey!!! What a loveable little boy :o)
Naughty Daddy also taught him how to blow blowfish on the glass doors so now the doors and windows have wet little mouth marks all over them....I tell him he should at least take the Windex with him and do a good job of them!
His eczema is doing great guns at the moment and it seems the daily half an orange is doing the trick. He devours the stuff and his cheeks have never been as good so something is working. Studies have shown vitamin C to be helpful with eczema but usually in orange form it irritates more then it helps. I don't know why Caleb is the exception to the rule but as long as it lasts we are sure not complaining!
We still go to playgroup every Wednesday and Friday morning at it's great fun. Heaps of different activities, toys and social opportunities for him....not to mention a social outlet for mum too *wink* This weekend our city is celebrating it's multi-cultural festival so we are going to go there this weekend as a family and let Caleb see Banana's in Pajama's that are playing there too! I think he'll love it.
This week we finally made the difficult decision to book Caleb into daycare for one day a week starting from June. It was something we had talked about for some time but were reluctant to do it due to our (ok mostly my!!) separation anxiety. We have settled on a really great centre though and I think he'll really enjoy it. The program is educational focused and his group (15months to 2.5yrs) do a daily program featuring cognitive, gross motor skill, fine motor skill, language, imitative activities etc rather than just a glorified babysitting service. The staff are lovely and Miss Carmie will be his group leader. My main concerns where how they would handle his allergy and also nap times without the benefit of cot walls to keep him in. They have a good understanding of what is required to protect him from allergic reactions and as I supply all his own food it won't be too hard to cope with it. As for sleeping they have little low stretcher beds and they give them a little back pat if needed. I especially didn't want any new bad habits introduced such as rocking to sleep etc but they believe, and I agree that especially at one day a week, he will not expect the same treatment at home to sleep. So now as June fast approaches I have to deal with the mental side of my decision. I know he may find it hard at first but soon he will love his day out alone each week to play and learn and mommy sure will love one day a week to myself just to do housework, shopping, errands etc....not to mention sleep all day if I wanted to...hehehehe! The first week I am staying with him most of the time (as suggested by he centre) just to introduce him to the surrounds and people then I'll probably leave him for half a day the next week then all day from then on. Both of my sisters have reassured me that soon he won't even want to leave when I arrive and in the long run I'll be so glad I made the effort. Also his socialization and independence is important to me and I'm sure this will be good for him. It's just so hard to imagine leaving him with strangers!!!! At least the centre policy is to call me if he hasn't settled in 30mins so I'll know he's ok if I hear nothing. And they strongly encourage and open door family environment there anyway so I am always welcome to pop in if I want to check how he's going.
Ok well what do you know....I did finish my update after all!!
Cheers P
April 24th 2004...
Well I went and jinxed myself about the eczema...just as I feared I would. His cheeks were going sooo incredibly well.....best in months and months....and now they are bad again. We actually linked the time they started improving with the time we started reducing formula so we suspect that may have helped. The only other new thing at that time was the introduction of orange (a supposedly bad food for eczema sufferers due to the citric acid). During the well period we thought we would do a small re-challenge with banana....a food we suspected caused it in the past but weren't sure if it did. Well I think it's safe to say now that it did.....he had a half a lady finger banana and the cheeks began getting worse from the very next day. Our other wonder though was whether it was the orange catching up with him????? It's so hard to know!! So for now we are staying far away from banana again....going to try to reintroduce some orange (as perhaps the vitamin C was something he was lacking) and just see what happens. Poor bubba......what I wouldn't give to take it away from him :o(
While still on the topic of food we found another new food this week that is dairy food and that he loves....crunchy bread sticks! One of the mothers at our playgroup often brings them for the kiddies communal morning tea but I was unsure about their dairy content so steered clear of them. After checking them out a Woolies though I was pleased to find they had no dairy...and Caleb loves crunching away on them. A healthier version of chips or biscuits I guess?? I also thought it was time I finally cooked something from my toddler recipe book....I cooked a beef and vege casserole which he absolutely loved!! It's full of yummy vege's and lean beef and salt reduced stock and tomato paste based gravy and I did a double batch up which produced 8 single serves. I picked out several more recipes to try so I am just going to keep cooking up batches of them and freezing them for variety on the nights he doesn't share our meal. I didn't think he'd like the casserole as it seemed very similar to a tin meal that I had tried for the first time a couple months back....it was one of those Heinz Little Kidz meals and he wouldn't have bar of it! He definitely prefers his mumma's home cookin' *wink* The other night he even refused frozen vege's but happily accepted some of our fresh one!! Yup....my boy the health nut :o)
He insists on using his own spoon for cereal each morning....getting much better at loading it himself and he's now a piece of cake to get it smoothly in his mouth. It's takes a little while longer and is sometimes messier but so what....that's what babies are meant to be right? He's doing so well and we are so proud :o)
We have been doing more painting since last entry. We have set up paints, brushes, painting apron, butchers paper and a makeshift easel here at home and he just loves it!!!! We are going to do some for the family members who live out of town and post them off a little surprise. We are going out today to look at the toyworld easels that combine chalkboards, whiteboards and magnetic boards also. While our home made easel works great for painting it would be great to have a better set up for a blackboard and also a drawing table too. I already have the chalks and crayons so we should be having quite the crafty weekend!
We purchased a new digital camera last week...our old one was part of our video camera and it's much better now to have the two separate. We are also expecting our new video camera to arrive in the next week or so too so that will be heaps of fun too. Anyway as soon as I find out how to upload the pics from the new camera, I have an excellent photo of Caleb's bum up in the air pose to post....just gorgeous!
He no longer wears his padded stack hat anymore...woo-hoo! It's so much nicer to see his yummy little head and face without if being shadowed by the helmet. He hasn't hit his head yet since we stopped so that's a relief. Seems he's got the walking thing down pat for sure. He wears little slippers on the tiles to keep his tootsies warm and they are non-slip too which helps.
His latest trick is pointing to noses. We ask 'where's Daddy's (or Caleb's or Mummy's nose) and he points to it and squeezes the tip!! It's so cute and he knows we think he's so smart when he does it. Now we are teaching him mouth. It's amazing how like little sponges they are. Even simple things like lifting up his legs when he see's me approach with a shoe when he's on the change table, or lifting legs or pulling out arms during dressing and undressing......who needs tv when you have a live human being developing before your very eyes!!
We finished completely with the bottles and formula last week too. He now has regular UHT soy milk from a cup 3 times a day and water from his cup at any other time. The bedtime bottle went much easier then we had feared. He now sits up on the lounge between us after his bath and has his cold milk from a cup then goes off to bed happy as can be. Daddy and Mummy take turns at pretending to share the milk and he really seems to like this quiet wind down time with us both. I packed up the bottles this week and put them away in the cupboard with just the tiniest pang of regret for my little baby all grown up into a toddler now *wink* God it goes so fast!!! I'm just glad he's not one of those toddlers who hangs onto their bottles for years to long. The dentist too recommended stopping at 12months so I am relieved Caleb was co-operative with the process too.
On Thursday we shared a special 'fun day!'. Every day after his morning nap we go out for about 2hrs....shopping, post office, library, errands etc. I know he likes to get out but I felt guilty about him being strapped into the pram or car seat all the time. So Thursday I made a pram free day...devoted just to his fun. We did have our morning walk down the esplanade after breakfast in the pram...but I know he loves that one! Then after a nap the two of us went to Maize Mania so he could play and climb with the other kids. I hadn't taken him by myself before but it was fine...we had heaps of fun and many other moms, and even one dad, were there solo too! He had morning tea there then we packed up and headed for a park down the Esplanade that had a great kids play area. He explored the bark on the ground, the big fig tree in the middle of the play ground...he climbed the train sets and swings, played with other kids and had a ball. After that we walked around the park and down to look at the beach etc we took a slow walk back to the car and headed home for lunch and a nap. Then Daddy came home early from work and we spent the afternoon at the beach. Caleb had a ball making sand castles, splashing in the water and squelching in the wet sand. it was low tide so he had a big toddle just to reach the water. Needless to say he certainly slept well that night! I want to try to have a day like that once a week...a Caleb fun day!
Anyway...as usual I have raved on longer than I expected so I'd better finish up here. Thanks for reading and I will post that bum pic with the next entry.
Cheers P
April 16th 2004...
I have heaps to talk about this week and lots of new pic's to upload so although I can hear the munchkin stirring in the next room I figured I may as well make a start on this update :o)
We had a lovely Easter....Caleb's godfather visited and brought with him a belated birthday present for Caleb.....an SS Commodore!! Hehehe. It's this gorgeous little red miniature one that Caleb rides around on or pushes like a walker. It took him only a day to learn how to alternate his feet moving to get the thing cruising while sitting on it...but of course used it as a walker straight away as anything than can be pushed is fair game at the moment :o) (see pic's page for peek at car).
As far as Easter eggs go I wasn't sure I would be able to find any that Caleb could eat due to the dairy content but I was planning on some carob chocolate or marshmallow bunnies as non-dairy Easter fair. But I had an incredibly thoughtful friend spy some 'dairy free chocolate Easter eggs' while doing her own Easter shopping and drop them round for him (Thanks Melissa!!!). I can't say he was that fussed though and only ate half of a little solid one. As occurred with his birthday cake, he just hasn't developed taste buds for sweet things yet and this first taste of chocolate wasn't to his liking. I guess I should enjoy this now before he gets older and wants chocolate everything! *wink*
Otherwise his food choices continue to expand daily. His latest love is juicy little orange segments which he just devours at lunch. I have also added dried pineapple to his usual dry fruit medley of sultana's, dates, apricot and apple. I no longer make and blend his evening meals weeks in advance. He just has finger sized chunks of whatever we are eating or meat and veg if our tea isn't suitable. We are trying to introduce a bowl for him to eat from by himself but he just wants to tip it on the floor (despite suction bottoms). He'll happily feed himself direct from his highchair table but we have to introduce the bowls and plates at some time so it may as well be now??? He shows a real interest in using his own spoon in the last few weeks but does need help to load the food onto it. Once it's full though he gets it too his mouth well. I have started giving him a spoon to 'help' mummy at feed times and that seems to work well.
We have almost completely weaned him from bottle to cup now and he now has just one bottle a day at bedtime. This is the only formula drink too as we have replaced each bottle of formula with a cup of regular soy milk as we eliminated them. Earlier this week I took a can of formula back for a refund and we are going to finish it up completely once this current can runs out. After only 4 months on bottles and formula it seems so soon to be packing away the bottles.....I always thought babies and toddlers had bottles for years (or so it seemed to a non-mum)? I guess some do but books and more importantly dentists recommend ceasing the bottle at 1yr old so it's great that he seems to have given it up without any protest. In fact now he puts on a show for his cup if he spies it when it's drink time. :o)
The only thing undecided now is the new bedtime routine once we remove the last bottle. Presently he has a bath, bottle then bed. To begin with we may try to get him to have some warm milk out of a cup before bed then slowly finish drinks around tea time rather then just prior to bed??? Before his afternoon nap we always read stories so this routine may have to replace bottle time at nights too??? Something to think more about anyway?
Last week we checked out a new playgroup and I have decided to go there every time from now on. It's only $1 each time and runs twice a week where as my last group was $2.50 once a week. This new group is really well set out with little play centre's for eg painting, floor play, blocks, craft, make believe etc and a huge outdoor play area too with swings, trucks, sandpits etc. It's great. Caleb had so much fun swinging in their baby swing seats that I went out that afternoon and bought him one of his own! His has his big swing down the back yard too but we have hung this one on the patio and it's a great seat for him when we have BBQ's or other outdoor entertaining. Each morning we fit in a swing before nap and he just loves it :o)
While at his playgroup Caleb also created his first painting masterpiece *wink*. I helped him to hold the pen while we wrote 'To Daddy love Caleb' on it but the rest was his hard work! I worte the date on the back, where it was painted, and that it was his first....then I had it laminated as I want to treasure it for years to come! It was so special to bring Daddy home his very first painting to pin on the fridge (see pic)...that's a 'mummy and daddy' thing we didn't' expect to ever experience before Caleb came along :o)
We both finished off Caleb's birthday letter last week and it has now been saved for prosperity. Each year on his birthday Simon and I both write Caleb a birthday letter of how the last year has been, our feelings and how much we enjoy his development etc. Simon's literally brought me to tears, it was so beautiful and heartfelt!! We'll add to them each year then give them to him, bound or something, on his 21st birthday :o) Something we hope he will treasure.
We have been getting back into lots of Esplanade walks now the weather is cooling down and I am always amazed at how much he gets out of it now. He spends the whole walk (usually 30-60mins) pointing out things, birds, trucks, planes etc and asking for explanations. As in he points at it, then looks and me, then points at it all the while going "uh?" "uh?" (as best as I can explain it) and doesn't stop until I tell him what it's called and or does etc. He is still a total nature lover and always wants to touch or walk under big trees etc and touch the leaves. All the walking is good for mummy too so that's a great bonus :o)
His eczema is the best it's been for months at the moment. Typical of eczema is that we don't really know what made the difference but whatever it is we hope it continues. His cheeks are pretty much clear and he has stopped scratching great chunks out of them. I feel as if I am tempting fate saying here how great they are....they will probably flare up tomorrow now *wink*
His latest fad is bum's up play. He puts his head down on the floor, bum right up in the air and laughs at us from between his legs :o) Very cute!!!!
We think it's almost time to ditch his little stack hat that he wears at home on the tiles as he hardly ever falls over now and when he does it's onto his bum with a plop or he now puts his hands out as a reflex if he falls forwards which is about time too!!! Makes mommy a lot more relaxed about falls :o)
And lastly he had his first dentist visit this week. We enrolled him in the 'early years' dental program when he was born and we were invited to attend his first clinic on Tuesday. We met with other mum's of 1yr olds, watched a video, asked some questions then had a quick check over by the dentist. They checked to make sure the teeth were all coming down fine and also just gave the bub's a chance to get familiar with the dentist environment, smells, noises, chair etc. The also gave out little sample bags which had full sized baby toothpaste and baby toothbrush in them too which was a bonus. We have one set in the bathroom and now the second set is great in the kitchen to remind me to brush his teeth after breakfast and lunch too instead of just at nighttime bathtime as we were.
Well I have raved on a mammoth amount today so I'd best go and update the pic's page. I have about a dozen new pic's to publish so be sure to check them out on your way out.
Cheers P
April 4th 2004...
Well I have a few moments of peace on this gorgeous Sunday morning while Caleb naps so thought I might whip out an update now and save having to do it tomorrow morning as I usually do.
We are still getting lots of wet slobbery kisses from Caleb and loving every one of them :o) Though I'm sure he tires of our requests for kisses *wink*
Caleb has also added another word to his repertoire...."book". We have a couple of little board books on his change table to occupy him while I attend to the smelly end :o) Whenever he picks one up we say 'book' and last week he said it back!! Now he plays with it and chants 'book', 'book', 'book' hehehe. He also has something else he says more than anything but we're not sure what it is....is sounds like a cockney 'Aaaa' but they way he says it seems like he means something by it and he says it all the time but we're not sure what it might refer to. He also says 'ta' now, like when he knocks Daddy's glasses off for the umpteenth time and is wanting Daddy to give them to him it's 'ta...ta'.
Pushing things around is a big phase now too....like dining room chairs, strollers, boxes....pretty much anything he can get to slide on the tiles. He loves it though and is very intent on his efforts. His other big thing of late is taking things like small toys out of a box or jar and putting them into another box or bowl....over and over again! Mmmm maybe he's gonna be a removalist or something! :o)
He walks pretty much where ever he wants to go now. A real slap footed toddle on the tiles that looks and sounds adorable...a real "toddle". You can tell he loves the new found freedom this provides him and he's just so darn proud of himself....as are we of course!
We got him a great mat for the floor of his room this week....one of the one's with the roads and firestation, police, hospital etc marked on it. I can see plenty of car play coming for that mat! We also got him the most adorable little boy flannelette PJ's which are absolutely gorgeous!!! He's such a cutey!!
His eczema is not good at the moment....lots of face scratches and also on his legs and arms but it's always the way. You have good days and bad with it. I just wish it wasn't so obvious on his face because I just about need a sign when I go out because at least one lady a day asks what's on his face....I get "is it a rash, teething, chocolate" (!) etc.
He has discovered his finger in a big way and loves to point at everything now instead of just waving his fist in the general direction. Points to puss-puss, planes, grass, noses, sultana's and drinking cups....the list goes on. Quite the little pointer.
The other thing we have done to mark his 1st birthday is to write a birthday letter. It's this great idea I read about where Mummy and Daddy write him a letter each birthday..detailing the joys and events of the last year and just how yummy he is....hehehe. Then we save these up and give them to him on his 21st birthday. We are also taking a picture of him each birthday in one of Daddy's dress shirts. We take the pic each year in the same shirt to show how much he is growing, eventually into a man himself. Great ideas I reckon and worth the effort.
Anyway the munchkin himself is awake now...gonna go to Maze Mania which he absolutely loves so best get moving!
Cheers P
March 26th 2004...
Finally....a chance to update since Caleb's 1st birthday!
Well the party went great :o) We had the odd shower of rain but everyone stayed dry under the tarp and it was sunny in between so no big problems there.
We had a mountain of food and drinks (yes mommy over catered as usual!) but at least we made sure everyone went home well and truly stuffed! *wink*
Caleb got some lovely gifts. Mostly books which was great as this week we were able to read 4-5 different books every story time and still we have not run out of new ones yet!
He also got a lovely hand crafted and painted train set from Poppy, Thomas the Tank engine push along train, puzzles, photo frames and of course his own Star from Mummy and Daddy. He also got a stack of bath toys which he absolutely loves!! Every bath time has to be twice as long so he can play with everything :o) Everyone was so generous and he sure is a lucky little boy :o)
During the party we ran games for the kids such as pin the tail on the donkey, pass the parcel and a lolly guessing game also. We also set up a craft table with a long trestle table covered in butchers paper and cups of crayons, chalk and texta's etc that the kids used to decorate and draw all over the paper with. At the end we had a great keepsake of Caleb's party with birthday wishes and all. All the kids enjoyed their party bags filled with bubble blowers, whistles, yo-yo's and treats and most finished off the day with a swim in the pool. By far the biggest crowd our pool has seen at any one time!
Caleb's cake turned out well...although the birthday boy didn't think so :o) He has never had any junky sugar rich food before and he didn't seem in a hurry to try it again either *wink*. Not that we minded as it just goes to show what healthy little tastebuds he has developed :o)
The Friday prior to the his birthday he had a little birthday celebration at his playgroup also where he was given another book for his collection. So many books that now mummy and daddy have to buy a bookcase as the bookends on top of his dresser just can't handle the load anymore.
So overall I would say his 1st Birthday and party was a success! A little bittersweet for Mummy who can't believe her little boy's no longer a baby but now officially a toddler :o( He'll be leaving home soon it seems!! :o)
Otherwise more recent happenings include immunizations yesterday. 3 needles this time...one in each arm and in one leg too :o( poor bub-bub. He does handle them well though and while crying heartily at the time soon gets over it all. Daddy arrived at the very last minute to hold him for the needles so that was a relief for me :o) His arms seemed a little sore today but otherwise not to bad. No big hot lumps yet at the injection site which he has had for the other ones so that's an improvement.
He had a Dr visit this week for a one year check up and all was well. She was very impressed with his diet, his walking and sleeping and thinks he's doing really well overall. His cheeks have been bad of late though so she took a swab to test for a staph infection which he may have got from scratching his little cheeks a lot of late. We get the results back today to see if he needs an antibiotic to clear it up. She also recommended moving up to a 1% cortisone cream for his eczema from the 0.5% we had been using and that seems to have helped a lot too.
Our child health nurse had advised us to remain on formula for another 3 months before moving him to normal soy milk in his bottles (he has already been having it on his cereal for months). However our Dr said to start now?? So as a compromise we have decided to replace one drink per week from formula to regular soy. We had already begun the weaning process form bottle to cup a couple of weeks ago and have replaced his morning bottle with a sipper cup successfully. So we have now changed this drink to regular soy and he has taken to it with no problems. He has three remaining bottles to go so we'll change one a week and say goodbye to the formula in 3 weeks time. He will have been on it 4 months in total by then so that hasn't worked out too expensive overall. We'll then gradually phase out more bottles for cups, finally removing the bedtime bottle last.
His walking has really improved in the last week and he is now happy to toddle around the house at his leisure. The first few days he would only walk from point A to B but now he'll walk aimlessly just because he can :o) His distance is getting longer and longer and now instead of speeding up to reach his target as he gets wobbly he now slows, steadies himself then moves on more confidently. He can squat right down to pick something up without any support then straighten up again and keep moving too...great for those big strong thigh muscles!
Since the day I brought him home I have kept a detailed diary of all his breastfeeds, bottles, solid foods, naps and even night time sleeps. For the first few weeks I also had number 1's and number 2's recorded too....hehehe. The food record has been invaluable for his eczema and it's a great record to look back on the night time feed schedules etc and see how far we have come (not to mention a great guilt trip when he puts me through hell as a teenager *wink*). The nurses had told me they advocate doing them for 12months if you can stick with it...but as we have now passed the 12 month mark I have finally put it away....boo-hoo. It is nice not to have to worry about writing every little thing down for a change though :o)
His vocabulary too is improving with his latest additions being "puss-puss" for Atlas our cat and "plane". He is obsessed with our cat and when you ask where the puss puss is he can find him in sight and point his arm to him and he loves to hunt him out in his favorite haunt under our bed valance. We also have planes fly over our house a few times a day and he can always pick the sound, stop what he is doing and look up to them....today though was a first for him to actually say plane though :o)
Well I think I have gone on enough for this entry :o) Not that I couldn't talk about him forever and a day :o)
Have also finally got my photo's page updated this weekend so check it out before you leave!
Cheers P
ps....last minute addition (Saturday 27th)...Caleb has finally mastered the kiss today. When saying our usual morning goodbye to Daddy instead of just passively being kissed, today we said 'kisses for Daddy' and he leaned in and pressed his lips (albeit parted and very slobbery ones) on Daddy's lips. We got him to repeat several times for Daddy and Mummy and he did it every time!! Awww shucks!!! :o)
